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ALWAYS MORE LOVE

Name: ALWAYS MORE LOVE
Author: Erin Guenderlsberger
ISBN: 978-1-7282-1376-7

by Erin Guenderlsberger ; illustrated by AndoTwin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 1, 2020

Skip.

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An interactive book works to get its titular message across to readers.

The narrator, an anthropomorphic cartoon heart with big eyes and stick arms and legs, is nothing if not exuberant in its attempts, clumsy and cloying as they may be. “I love you so much, / but there’s more in my heart. / How is that possible? / Well, where do I start? // Now move in close, and you will see / just how much you mean to me. // My love is huge—below, above. / As you can tell, there’s always more love!” The page following the instruction to move in shows a close-up of the top of the heart and its eyes, one stick arm pointing skyward, though despite the admonition “you can tell,” readers will glean nothing about love from this picture. À la Hervé Tullet, the book prompts readers to act, but the instructions can sometimes be confusing (see above) and are largely irrelevant to the following spread, supposedly triggered by the suggested actions. The heart, suddenly supplied with a painter’s palette and a beret and surrounded by blobs of color, instructs readers to “Shake the book to see what I can be.” The page turn reveals hearts of all different colors, one rainbow-striped, and then different shapes. Most troublingly, the heart, who is clearly meant to be a stand-in for loved ones, states, “I’m always here for you,” which for too many children is heartbreakingly not true.

Skip. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-7282-1376-7

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2019

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS

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THE NIAN MONSTER

by Andrea Wang ; illustrated by Alina Chau ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 1, 2016

Ai ya—not the happiest New Year tale.

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A little girl in Shanghai outwits a Lunar New Year monster.

Xingling is grocery shopping with her grandmother days before the Chinese New Year festivities are to begin. Curious about all the red decorations, she learns that once upon a time there was a very hungry monster who threatened villages. The monster, fortunately, had three fears—“loud sounds, fire, and the color red”—and the Chinese learned how to keep safe from it. Unfortunately, the monster, named Nian, soon appears in Shanghai very hungry and very unperturbed by ancient customs. Xingling cleverly finds three new, traditional means to defeat Nian: a bowl containing “the longest noodle in China” (which sends him snoozing), bony milkfish (which hurts his throat), and a rice cake made with very sticky rice (which glues his jaws together). Wang brings together traditional storytelling elements in her tale—three tasks and repetition of phrases—in this contemporary setting of a Chinese New Year story. However, the writing is pedestrian and will not hold up to multiple readings. The explanation that “nian” means either “year” or “sticky” comes only in the author’s note. Chau’s artwork is colorful but very busy; Xingling is drawn with giant, manga-style eyes, though the other Chinese characters have simple ink-dot eyes. Also, there is no mention of which year of the 12-year cycle is being celebrated.

Ai ya—not the happiest New Year tale. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-8075-5642-9

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Whitman

Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS

- BOOK REVIEW
SUMMER AT SQUEE
by Andrea Wang

- BOOK REVIEW
LULI AND THE LANGUAGE OF TEA
by Andrea Wang ; illustrated by Hyewon Yum

- BOOK REVIEW
THE MANY MEANINGS OF MEILAN
by Andrea Wang

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LEPRECHAUN VS. EASTER BUNNY

by Todd Tarpley ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 14, 2023

Slapstick fun for any season.

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Sometimes the holidays get messy.

When a light-skinned leprechaun—complete with red beard and clover-adorned hat—appears at the end of a rainbow on a hill dotted with tulips, he’s all set to bury his gold…until the Easter Bunny hops over in a huff. The leprechaun is digging up all the tulips where the bunny was planning to hide his eggs. Their argument escalates, and readers will be reminded of Looney Tunes battles between Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck as each employs more and more outrageous traps and tricks to humiliate the other. The duo keep the fight up until a new visitor arrives; although St. Valentine’s Day has passed, a plump, light-skinned Cupid is ready to start planning for next year—allowing the two to join forces against a common enemy. The text is told in rhyming stanzas: “ ‘Gold!’ cried the bunny, / but when he bent over, / the leprechaun pushed him / facedown in the clover!” It’s not Shakespeare, but it moves the plot along. The digital illustrations are riotously funny, and the final image of the three spring holiday mascots scowling at one another, having reached an uneasy friendship, will have readers giggling all year long. Skilled storytellers will enjoy hamming up the action as the characters attempt to assert their dominance over their hillside home. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Slapstick fun for any season. (Picture book. 4-7)