Though not quite as much fun as Gravel’s Disgusting Critters series, this offering will still elicit chuckles from the...
Snaggle-toothed, asymmetrical, bug-eyed monsters abound in this not-so-subtle “A pet is a big responsibility” primer.
From the moment the protagonist starts obsessing over owning a monster, her father is doomed. To ensure a visit to the Monsterium, she wields some well-honed weapons. First there’s the tweaking of parental guilt: “All my friends have pet monsters.” Then she fires off enthusiastic promises to parental questions: “And who will pick up the monster poo?” / “I will!” The various candidates up for adoption have appropriately cutesy names such as Froops, Foffles, and Pooples. The winner is a barking Oogly-Wump that smells like pirates’ feet. After Papa names him Gus, the baby monster proceeds to swim in the toilet and eat Papa’s cellphone. When the maturing monster becomes despondent, the overenthusiastic protagonist’s solution is hair-raising. The easy-to-follow dialogue is corralled within speech bubbles, and most of the cartoony digital illustrations are placed against graph-paper backdrops, bringing to mind a child's journal entries. The abundance of rainbow-hued monsters suggests that Gravel probably had a grand time flinging darts at a color wheel. Both the girl and her father are melanin-enriched, and the other children featured are also diverse. Included at the end of the story are five brief interactive exercises that range from monster naming to monster training.
Though not quite as much fun as Gravel’s Disgusting Critters series, this offering will still elicit chuckles from the younger set. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 15, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-241533-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
Rodent or no, Meteor sure is one heck of a space ambassador
When NASA announces the crew of the upcoming Mars mission, Meteor the Mousetronaut is, shockingly, not on the list.
No matter; the little mouse isn’t about to let his training go to waste. He packs his spacesuit and stows away on the Galaxy, floating out to scavenge crumbs while the human crew sleeps. After six months, the Galaxy reaches Mars orbit—but one of the landing craft’s engines fails, and the remaining one isn’t strong enough to transport even one human. Meteor volunteers for duty and, equipped with a tiny American flag, descends to the Red Planet to gather rock samples. Six months later, he returns to Earth to be welcomed as a hero with the other astronauts. While this story inevitably lacks the freshness of Meteor’s debut (Mousetronaut, 2012), Kelly’s prose and storytelling have matured, and Meteor’s enthusiasm is as infectious as ever. Payne’s delightfully regular-looking, multiethnic and gender-inclusive crew displays the same winning combination of heroism and lumpiness (the mission commander has an endearingly potatolike face) that distinguished the first adventure. Perhaps what’s most striking about this book, though, is the four-page afterword, in which Kelly summarizes the history of Mars exploration and discusses the potential for a real manned mission. His eloquence in advocating for a vigorous space program bespeaks both passion and experience.
Rodent or no, Meteor sure is one heck of a space ambassador . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4424-8426-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Paula Wiseman/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 27, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A spellbinding tale that encourages readers to accept—and celebrate—what makes us different.
A bespectacled young witch longs for a cat but ends up with something unexpected.
Though Wilma is excited for her first feline pet, when she goes to the Beast Buddies Pet Shop there are no more cats; instead, she is offered a wombat. She begrudgingly takes the dumpy, snoozy chum but worries: “Everyone else brings cats to school. Cats have been friends to witches for centuries. What a cat-tastrophe!” Unfortunately, Wombat is afraid of heights, which makes mastering Broom-Flying Basics a challenge; can’t perch on the edge of a cauldron during Brewing Potions for Beginners; and doesn’t stay in the required spell boundary zone, causing a spell to go disastrously wrong. Wilma is so frustrated she wishes Wombat would disappear. And Wombat does just that—by burrowing deep into the ground. Sprinkled with wombat facts (Wilma’s remembering that wombat scat is cube-shaped helps her follow a trail of poop to find her pal), this is a winning testament to true friendship. Wilma sets aside her assumptions of what a witch’s companion should look like and realizes just how wonderful Wombat truly is. This is a not-so-spooky tale perfect for Halloween and beyond. Wilma has bluish-black hair and pale skin among a diverse class. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A spellbinding tale that encourages readers to accept—and celebrate—what makes us different. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: July 4, 2023
ISBN: 9780593569634
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: April 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2023
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