This daring approach to the picture book may find an audience of philosophical adults and children who take pleasure in the...
Beckmeyer’s first picture book takes readers on a circular journey around a mysterious island.
This parable, rendered in richly textured crayon, follows five friends who “wonder about the other side of the island” they dwell on, so they set out to paddle around to it. A failed landing leaves four friends, who try to cut through dense forest haunted by big cats, leaving three friends who build a long and precarious slide. Structures resembling roller coasters and Seattle’s Space Needle lure others to the island, and these newcomers carouse in party hats and develop it beyond recognition. At the end, one last friend tries, again, to find the wild side of the island, a venture that ends in a chaotic black scribble that leaves readers with far more questions than it answers. Every reader may come away from this curious and quiet book with a different message, and the deeper meanings are an intriguing challenge to parse. One might ask why the characters are dark pink, purple, orange, grayish-brown, and light pink and what their genders are. Who are they, and why are they on this island? In addition to the beautiful and skillful yet childlike illustrations, the text has a certain elegance, excellent pacing helping to carry readers through the exceptionally long picture book.
This daring approach to the picture book may find an audience of philosophical adults and children who take pleasure in the unusual. (Picture book. 5-9)Pub Date: April 3, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4521-5485-5
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2018
These reindeer games are a bit tired but, given the series’ popularity, should have a large, ready-made audience.
The How to Catch A… crew try for Comet.
Having already failed to nab a Halloween witch, the Easter Bunny, a turkey, a leprechaun, the Tooth Fairy, and over a dozen other iconic trophies in previous episodes of this bestselling series, one would think the racially diverse gaggle of children in Elkerton’s moonlit, wintry scenes would be flagging…but no, here they lay out snares ranging from a loop of garland to an igloo baited with reindeer moss to an enticing candy cane maze, all in hopes of snagging one of Santa’s reindeer while he’s busy delivering presents. Infused with pop culture–based Christmas cheer (“Now I’ve already seen the shelf with the elf”), Comet prances past the traps until it’s time to gather up the kids, most of whom look terrified, for a group snapshot with the other reindeer and then climb back into harness: “This was a great stop but a few million to go / Christmas Eve must continue with style!” Though festive, the verse feels trite and unlikely to entice youngsters. A sprinkling of “True Facts About Reindeer” (“They live in the tundra, where they have friends like the arctic bunny”) wrap up this celebration of the predatory spirit. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
These reindeer games are a bit tired but, given the series’ popularity, should have a large, ready-made audience. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2022
ISBN: 9781728276137
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
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