Perfect for young ones yearning for a pet.
At least when it comes to puppies, there’s always room for one more.
Mia lives in a tiny apartment in a big city. One day, she and her grandmother visit a neighbor who’s giving away puppies. Mia immediately falls in love with a little pup that has white fur and black spots. Despite her mother’s assertions that there is “NO ROOM” for even “one pint-sized pup,” Mia comes up with a mischievous plan. With the help of her grandmother and fellow neighbors, Mia fills the small apartment with all sorts of animals, including Roger the parrot, Sprinkles the bunny, and Tigger the kitty. In a whirlwind of mayhem, humor, and alliteration, Mia’s many guests nearly destroy the apartment, but when they leave, her mother admits that their space “doesn’t feel so small anymore.” Seeing Mia’s clever plan unfold and the chaos that ensues is sure to entertain. In this spin on a Yiddish folktale about appreciating what one has, diversity abounds, with Mia and her family depicted with brown skin and dark hair while their neighbors are of varying ages and races. Molk’s soft yet expressive watercolor illustrations wonderfully complement her and Suneby’s story and bring all characters, both human and non-, to life. A final, wordless page showing Mia curled up with her now-grown Great Dane offers a humorous and satisfying coda.
Perfect for young ones yearning for a pet. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5253-0029-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Serve this superbly designed title to all who relish slightly scary stories.
Kids know vegetables can be scary, but rarely are edible roots out to get someone. In this whimsical mock-horror tale, carrots nearly frighten the whiskers off Jasper Rabbit, an interloper at Crackenhopper Field.
Jasper loves carrots, especially those “free for the taking.” He pulls some in the morning, yanks out a few in the afternoon, and comes again at night to rip out more. Reynolds builds delicious suspense with succinct language that allows understatements to be fully exploited in Brown’s hilarious illustrations. The cartoon pictures, executed in pencil and then digitally colored, are in various shades of gray and serve as a perfectly gloomy backdrop for the vegetables’ eerie orange on each page. “Jasper couldn’t get enough carrots … / … until they started following him.” The plot intensifies as Jasper not only begins to hear the veggies nearby, but also begins to see them everywhere. Initially, young readers will wonder if this is all a product of Jasper’s imagination. Was it a few snarling carrots or just some bathing items peeking out from behind the shower curtain? The ending truly satisfies both readers and the book’s characters alike. And a lesson on greed goes down like honey instead of a forkful of spinach.
Serve this superbly designed title to all who relish slightly scary stories. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 21, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0297-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 1, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads.
Emma deals with jitters before playing the guitar in the school talent show.
Pop musician Kevin Jonas and his wife, Danielle, put performance at the center of their picture-book debut. When Emma is intimidated by her very talented friends, the encouragement of her younger sister, Bella, and the support of her family help her to shine her own light. The story is straightforward and the moral familiar: Draw strength from your family and within to overcome your fears. Employing the performance-anxiety trope that’s been written many times over, the book plods along predictably—there’s nothing really new or surprising here. Dawson’s full-color digital illustrations center a White-presenting family along with Emma’s three friends of color: Jamila has tanned skin and wears a hijab; Wendy has dark brown skin and Afro puffs; and Luis has medium brown skin. Emma’s expressive eyes and face are the real draw of the artwork—from worry to embarrassment to joy, it’s clear what she’s feeling. A standout double-page spread depicts Emma’s talent show performance, with a rainbow swirl of music erupting from an amp and Emma rocking a glam outfit and electric guitar. Overall, the book reads pretty plainly, buoyed largely by the artwork. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35207-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
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