An inventive, nicely illustrated fantasy emphasizing determination, bravery, and magic.
An elf solves a mystery in her forest home in this picture book.
In Cucuruzzu, Eli, a “moon elf,” is perplexed that sugar crystals in the forest are “turning anyone who touched them into hard rock candy.” Then Eli’s bunny friend Luna discovers that her baby, Doudou, is afflicted. Eli and Luna immediately seek help. A magician explains the phenomenon occurs when the Hallowshine dragon’s tears become sugar crystals, which “can be broken with a drop of his saliva” if done “by the next nightfall.” Fairy Lexie says to locate the dragon, they must retrieve a pair of magical golden shoes. Eli finds the shoes, which fly her and Luna to the dragon’s cave. They confront the sobbing creature, who feels guilty and lonely. Eli empathizes, noting: “I…am the only moon elf I know. But the animals of the enchanted forest have been kind to me, and I know they would be kind to you, too.” The dragon escorts them home, but night has fallen—it’s too late to save Doudou. When Eli cries, her tears cause the crystals to vanish, freeing Doudou and shocking the elf. The dragon vows: “Tears no more…and friends, forever.” Cabanel’s eventful tale offers an imaginative spin on a hero’s quest to save the day. Readers will enjoy following Eli in an ethereal setting filled with colorful characters. Ilchenko’s fantastical images feature lush forest scenes with vivid details like twisty trees and distinctive critters.
An inventive, nicely illustrated fantasy emphasizing determination, bravery, and magic.Pub Date: Oct. 11, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-77790-881-2
Page Count: 44
Publisher: Twenty Two House Publishing
Review Posted Online: Nov. 10, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own...
The sturdy Little Blue Truck is back for his third adventure, this time delivering Christmas trees to his band of animal pals.
The truck is decked out for the season with a Christmas wreath that suggests a nose between headlights acting as eyeballs. Little Blue loads up with trees at Toad’s Trees, where five trees are marked with numbered tags. These five trees are counted and arithmetically manipulated in various ways throughout the rhyming story as they are dropped off one by one to Little Blue’s friends. The final tree is reserved for the truck’s own use at his garage home, where he is welcomed back by the tree salestoad in a neatly circular fashion. The last tree is already decorated, and Little Blue gets a surprise along with readers, as tiny lights embedded in the illustrations sparkle for a few seconds when the last page is turned. Though it’s a gimmick, it’s a pleasant surprise, and it fits with the retro atmosphere of the snowy country scenes. The short, rhyming text is accented with colored highlights, red for the animal sounds and bright green for the numerical words in the Christmas-tree countdown.
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own tree that will put a twinkle in a toddler’s eyes. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-544-32041-3
Page Count: 24
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A wandering effort, happy but pointless.
The perfect book for kids who love dragons and mild tacos.
Rubin’s story starts with an incantatory edge: “Hey, kid! Did you know that dragons love tacos? They love beef tacos and chicken tacos. They love really big gigantic tacos and tiny little baby tacos as well.” The playing field is set: dragons, tacos. As a pairing, they are fairly silly, and when the kicker comes in—that dragons hate spicy salsa, which ignites their inner fireworks—the silliness is sillier still. Second nature, after all, is for dragons to blow flames out their noses. So when the kid throws a taco party for the dragons, it seems a weak device that the clearly labeled “totally mild” salsa comes with spicy jalapenos in the fine print, prompting the dragons to burn down the house, resulting in a barn-raising at which more tacos are served. Harmless, but if there is a parable hidden in the dragon-taco tale, it is hidden in the unlit deep, and as a measure of lunacy, bridled or unbridled, it doesn’t make the leap into the outer reaches of imagination. Salmieri’s artwork is fitting, with a crabbed, ethereal line work reminiscent of Peter Sís, but the story does not offer it enough range.
A wandering effort, happy but pointless. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 14, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3680-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: March 27, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2012
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