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SPACE BOY AND THE SPACE PIRATE

Name: SPACE BOY AND THE SPACE PIRATE
Author: Dian Curtis Regan
ISBN: 978-1-59078-956-8

by Dian Curtis Regan ; illustrated by Robert Neubecker ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 8, 2016

Intergalactic derring-do, and home just in time for supper.

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Rescue plans go seriously awry when a space pirate’s captive shows no intention of leaving.

As his second thrilling adventure (Space Boy and His Dog, 2015) begins, outer-space adventurer Niko is reading a scary book about the threat of space pirates. Not long after, his cousin Sasha is apparently nabbed by just such a scurvy interplanetary knave, and it’s up to the intrepid hero and his loyal crew—co-pilot Radar (a robot) and Tag (a dog)—to rescue her from the Planet Zorg. But what’s this? Could it be that the space pirate is none other than Niko’s own tricky sister, Posh? When Niko is spotted, Posh attempts to “delete” the girls from Niko’s outer-space imaginings with a premature “THE END!” She then hijacks his spaceship, leaving Niko and crew stranded. Fortunately, you can’t keep a good spaceman down. Five brief chapters break the action into separate, exciting set pieces worthy of Tom Swift, and the characters’ bickering over who should end the story echoes the previous book’s metafictive commentary. Neubecker’s digital art crackles and pops as Niko’s spaceship exudes curlicues of red and black smoke and lands on a planet awash in reds, yellows, and oranges.

Intergalactic derring-do, and home just in time for supper. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: March 8, 2016

ISBN: 978-1-59078-956-8

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Boyds Mills

Review Posted Online: Dec. 7, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2015

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ACTION & ADVENTURE FICTION | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

- BOOK REVIEW
SPACE BOY AND THE SNOW MONSTER
by Dian Curtis Regan ; illustrated by Robert Neubecker

- BOOK REVIEW
SPACE BOY AND HIS DOG
by Dian Curtis Regan ; illustrated by Robert Neubecker

- BOOK REVIEW
THE DRAGON STONE
by Dian Curtis Regan & illustrated by Stacy Curtis

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THERE'S A ROCK CONCERT IN MY BEDROOM

by Kevin Jonas & Danielle Jonas ; illustrated by Courtney Dawson ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 29, 2022

Nice enough but not worth repeat reads.

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Emma deals with jitters before playing the guitar in the school talent show.

Pop musician Kevin Jonas and his wife, Danielle, put performance at the center of their picture-book debut. When Emma is intimidated by her very talented friends, the encouragement of her younger sister, Bella, and the support of her family help her to shine her own light. The story is straightforward and the moral familiar: Draw strength from your family and within to overcome your fears. Employing the performance-anxiety trope that’s been written many times over, the book plods along predictably—there’s nothing really new or surprising here. Dawson’s full-color digital illustrations center a White-presenting family along with Emma’s three friends of color: Jamila has tanned skin and wears a hijab; Wendy has dark brown skin and Afro puffs; and Luis has medium brown skin. Emma’s expressive eyes and face are the real draw of the artwork—from worry to embarrassment to joy, it’s clear what she’s feeling. A standout double-page spread depicts Emma’s talent show performance, with a rainbow swirl of music erupting from an amp and Emma rocking a glam outfit and electric guitar. Overall, the book reads pretty plainly, buoyed largely by the artwork. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Nice enough but not worth repeat reads. (Picture book. 4-6)

Pub Date: March 29, 2022

ISBN: 978-0-593-35207-6

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin

Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022

Categories:

CHILDREN'S FAMILY | CHILDREN'S ENTERTAINMENT & SPORTS

- BOOK REVIEW
THERE'S A BEACH IN MY BEDROOM
by Kevin Jonas & Danielle Jonas ; illustrated by Courtney Dawson

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RUMPELSTILTSKIN

retold by Mac Barnett ; illustrated by Carson Ellis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 3, 2026

Deeply familiar but infused with 21st-century smarts; expect cries for repeated reads.

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Two acclaimed creators retell a fairy-tale classic.

Employing a conversational style, Barnett offers a fresh and immensely entertaining take on an old story, much as he did with The Three Billy Goats Gruff, illustrated by Jon Klassen (2022). A miller (“a nice enough guy, but he had a big mouth”) encounters the king and, seeking to impress him, falsely claims that his daughter can spin straw into gold. What follows is the classic story, replete with spinning wheels and small men who make clandestine deals with the desperate for their offspring. While never diverging from the original, Barnett nevertheless allows his miller’s daughter, if not a name (on purpose, it turns out), then hobbies like “whittling sticks and catching tadpoles with her bare hands.” This miller’s daughter is still caught in the machinations of the men around her, but Barnett demonstrates that her love of the woods is key to her defeating Rumpelstiltskin. His sly retelling is perfectly complemented by art that at times resembles classical portraiture. Ellis also harkens back to fairy-tale images of yore with both lushly illustrated gouache pictures and small interstitial black-and-white spot art. Characters present white.

Deeply familiar but infused with 21st-century smarts; expect cries for repeated reads. (Picture book. 4-7)