A resourceful, imaginative story that emphasizes healthy eating and kitchen creativity.
A mother comes up with a creative way to get her son to eat vegetables in Delacroix’s picture book.
Reggie Bender, a White child, refuses to eat green vegetables. He lacks nutrients, and because of his small stature, he doesn’t make the soccer team. Reggie’s mom, Mrs. Bender, devises a plan to “weave veggies into sweets” (“a pie with peas for eyes and a cake with broccoli trees”), but he rejects them. Next, she blends vegetables into a green paste and adds that to Reggie’s favorite treats, including cake, cookies, and ice cream. Although it turns foods green, he doesn’t mind. Soon, he feels “a surge of inner strength, a power from within”; his body grows and he becomes soccer team captain. On his 12th birthday, Mrs. Bender confesses her ruse, which leads to a surprising revelation. This story offers an innovative solution to a relatable problem for kids and parents. Picky youngsters will relate to Reggie’s initial hesitance, but the unique dishes may inspire them to expand their palates. Parents will glean helpful ideas from Mrs. Bender’s fun innovations. Delacroix’s illustrations feature mostly marker and colored-pencil renderings of Reggie eating and playing soccer, but other pages include realistic, detailed, labeled representations of different dishes and photos of various vegetables. Recipes are also included.
A resourceful, imaginative story that emphasizes healthy eating and kitchen creativity.Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-578-97904-5
Page Count: 46
Publisher: ReggieBenderBooks
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A sweet, springtime-themed reworking of a beloved tale.
The classic picture book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (1989) gets a makeover for Easter as the letters of the alphabet locate and decorate eggs.
The mission is simple: “Chicka chicka peek peek. / Everybody seek seek! / Find all the eggs / in the pretty pink tree.” The letters are making their way up the flowering tree in search of the hidden eggs when a “SNEEZE!” scatters everyone and the eggs fall and crack. Luckily, a bunny hops by with a haul of new ones, which the letters then paint and bedazzle, eventually sharing the newly decorated eggs with a group of bunnies. This picture book is a successfully Easter-fied version of the original: The letters go up; the letters fall down. Truly, though, that’s all the preschool crowd needs. Chung’s illustrations are simple and familiar, a direct echo of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. The letters appear in colorful, bold, block form. The book has few added details, just focal images like the tree and its pink flowers, the colorful eggs, tufts of grass, and some friendly rabbits. The alphabet appears in order (both upper- and lowercase letters) at the book’s open and close. The rhyming text follows the iconic cadence of the source material, making for a worthy read-aloud that will keep little hands turning pages.
A sweet, springtime-themed reworking of a beloved tale. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Jan. 20, 2026
ISBN: 9781665990646
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
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A bit predictable but pleasantly illustrated.
Bill Martin Jr and John Archambault’s classic alphabet book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (1989) gets the Halloween treatment.
Chung follows the original formula to the letter. In alphabetical order, each letter climbs to the top of a tree. They are knocked back to the ground in a jumble before climbing up in sequence again. In homage to the spooky holiday theme, they scale a “creaky old tree,” and a ghostly jump scare causes the pileup. The chunky, colorful art is instantly recognizable. The charmingly costumed letters (“H swings a tail. / I wears a patch. J and K don / bows that don’t match”) are set against a dark backdrop, framed by pages with orange or purple borders. The spreads feature spiderwebs and jack-o’-lanterns. The familiar rhyme cadence is marred by the occasional clunky or awkward phrase; in particular, the adapted refrain of “Chicka chicka tricka treat” offers tongue-twisting fun, but it’s repeatedly followed by the disappointing half-rhyme “Everybody sneaka sneak.” Even this odd construction feels shoehorned into place, since “sneaking” makes little sense when every character in the book is climbing together. The final line of the book ends on a more satisfying note, with “Everybody—time to eat!”
A bit predictable but pleasantly illustrated. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: July 15, 2025
ISBN: 9781665954785
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
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