Artist Sokol makes an appalling writing debut with a book in which bold and colorful illustrations dude up what is meant, obviously, to be a naïvely magical text. In reality, the book achieves such a paucity of thought and meaning as to be utterly inane, disrespectful of craft, and condescending to even the youngest, most gullible of its intended readership. They are invited to meet Stinky Magee, a “funny little guy with curly orange hair, green eyes . . . and big ears that stick out really far.” Big ears, which could have been the basis for a magical metaphor or simile, make Stinky a dead ringer for his grandpa Captain Silas Hornblower Magee, basically an illustration opportunity since he’s extraneous to the story; indeed, some sophisticated youngsters may wonder why he’s mentioned at all. Stinky has a magic hobbyhorse Shnoopsie, who flies him to the secret land of Snaggamumfrey after hearing the magic words, “Be good, be fast . . . be gone!” In Snaggamumfrey wishes come true; it is ice cream that Stinky’s after, an “extra-special ice-cream sundae . . . with a bright red, really red cherry on top!” Replete, Stinky flies home, sleeps, and wakes to discover it was all just a dream. Worse than the story is the sense that the author believes that the too-cute language (“Peep, pop, tiddle-op”) will be appealing to children. Get serious. Be gone, Stinky. (Picture book. 3-7)
Pub Date: Aug. 31, 2000
ISBN: 0-688-17416-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2000
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance.
A boy with wings learns to be himself and inspires others like him to soar, too.
Norman, a “perfectly normal” boy, never dreamed he might grow wings. Afraid of what his parents might say, he hides his new wings under a big, stuffy coat. Although the coat hides his wings from the world, Norman no longer finds joy in bathtime, playing at the park, swimming, or birthday parties. With the gentle encouragement of his parents, who see his sadness, Norman finds the courage to come out of hiding and soar. Percival (The Magic Looking Glass, 2017, etc.) depicts Norman with light skin and dark hair. Black-and-white illustrations show his father with dark skin and hair and his mother as white. The contrast of black-and-white illustrations with splashes of bright color complements the story’s theme. While Norman tries to be “normal,” the world and people around him look black and gray, but his coat stands out in yellow. Birds pop from the page in pink, green, and blue, emphasizing the joy and beauty of flying free. The final spread, full of bright color and multiracial children in flight, sets the mood for Norman’s realization on the last page that there is “no such thing as perfectly normal,” but he can be “perfectly Norman.”
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: May 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68119-785-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
A delicious triumph over fear of night creatures.
Pippa conquers a fear of the creatures that emerge from her storybooks at night.
Pippa’s “wonderfully wild imagination” can sometimes run “a little TOO wild.” During the day, she wears her “armor” and is a force to be reckoned with. But in bed at night, Pippa worries about “villains and monsters and beasts.” Sharp-toothed and -taloned shadows, dragons, and pirates emerge from her storybooks like genies from a bottle, just to scare her. Pippa flees to her parents’ room only to be brought back time and again. Finally, Pippa decides that she “needs a plan” to “get rid of them once and for all.” She decides to slip a written invitation into every book, and that night, they all come out. She tries subduing them with a lasso, an eye patch, and a sombrero, but she is defeated. Next, she tries “sashes and sequins and bows,” throwing the fashion pieces on the monsters, who…“begin to pose and primp and preen.” After that success, their fashion show becomes a nightly ritual. Clever Pippa’s transformation from scared victim of her own imagination to leader of the monster pack feels fairly sudden, but it’s satisfying nonetheless. The cartoony illustrations effectively use dynamic strokes, shadow, and light to capture action on the page and the feeling of Pippa's fears taking over her real space. Pippa and her parents are brown-skinned with curls of various textures.
A delicious triumph over fear of night creatures. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5420-9300-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Two Lions
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
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