Another diverting showcase for the different strokes associated with different (crayon) folks.
The cast of The Day the Crayons Quit (2013) is still at it, this time in the early hours.
Many books into the series, “the Crayons have all kinds of feelings about waking up in the morning.” (They also have all kinds of feelings about going to bed at night; see 2025’s Goodnight, Crayons.) For the uninitiated: These amiable tales center on an array of pointy-headed anthropomorphized crayons living amid what looks like crayon-drawn imagery on white backgrounds. In this outing, our heroes’ different morning habits are reflected in a suite of side-by-side comparisons. “Some eat a big breakfast” finds Beige chomping on a (beige) croissant and holding a (beige) basket of baked goods, whereas “Some have a small bite on the run” sees Red eating an apple (the red kind) on the fly. The comparisons proceed until readers learn that the crayons are getting ready for school and that “no matter how they feel about their mornings…all the crayons love where they get to go every day.” Don’t expect plots from these books: Their hallmark is creating funny sight gags spotlighting series regulars. This title’s best one: “Oh man…I just know I’m forgetting something!” says Peach, who isn’t wearing a paper wrapper, although several dangle from clothes hangers on a nearby clothes rack.
Another diverting showcase for the different strokes associated with different (crayon) folks. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2026
ISBN: 9780593694848
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: tomorrow
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it.
A succession of animal dads do their best to teach their young to say “Dada” in this picture-book vehicle for Fallon.
A grumpy bull says, “DADA!”; his calf moos back. A sad-looking ram insists, “DADA!”; his lamb baas back. A duck, a bee, a dog, a rabbit, a cat, a mouse, a donkey, a pig, a frog, a rooster, and a horse all fail similarly, spread by spread. A final two-spread sequence finds all of the animals arrayed across the pages, dads on the verso and children on the recto. All the text prior to this point has been either iterations of “Dada” or animal sounds in dialogue bubbles; here, narrative text states, “Now everybody get in line, let’s say it together one more time….” Upon the turn of the page, the animal dads gaze round-eyed as their young across the gutter all cry, “DADA!” (except the duckling, who says, “quack”). Ordóñez's illustrations have a bland, digital look, compositions hardly varying with the characters, although the pastel-colored backgrounds change. The punch line fails from a design standpoint, as the sudden, single-bubble chorus of “DADA” appears to be emanating from background features rather than the baby animals’ mouths (only some of which, on close inspection, appear to be open). It also fails to be funny.
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 9, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-250-00934-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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