In a less-than-serious take on the banality of evil, a supergenius Bad Guy discovers that escaping from jail, building giant robots and acting the bully is no fun without a Superhero around to put the kibosh on his schemes. Baron Von Baddie reaches this realization after, by accident, catching his nemesis Captain Kapow—depicted in McClements’s large, cut-paper-collage cartoons as a mighty figure in cape and body suit, with a sunny smile on his ruggedly handsome face—in a freeze ray, and then gleefully going on to switch days of the week around, gather up mountains of doughnuts and other mischief. Three weeks of that leaves the bored Baron feeling that there’s no point to creating chaos if no one’s trying to stop him, so off he hies to thaw his adversary out with a humongous hair dryer. Fans of Bob McLeod’s Superhero ABC (2006) and like spoofs will chuckle. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-15-206138-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2008
The buoyant uplift seems a bit pre-packaged but spot-on nonetheless.
A monohued tally of positive character traits.
Purple is a “magic color,” affirm the authors (both actors, though Hart’s name recognition is nowhere near the level of Bell’s), and “purple people” are the sort who ask questions, laugh wholeheartedly, work hard, freely voice feelings and opinions, help those who might “lose” their own voices in the face of unkindness, and, in sum, can “JUST BE (the real) YOU.” Unlike the obsessive protagonist of Victoria Kann’s Pinkalicious franchise, being a purple person has “nothing to do with what you look like”—a point that Wiseman underscores with scenes of exuberantly posed cartoon figures (including versions of the authors) in casual North American attire but sporting a wide range of ages, skin hues, and body types. A crowded playground at the close (no social distancing here) displays all this wholesome behavior in action. Plenty of purple highlights, plus a plethora of broad smiles and wide-open mouths, crank up the visual energy—and if the earnest overall tone doesn’t snag the attention of young audiences, a grossly literal view of the young narrator and a grandparent “snot-out-our-nose laughing” should do the trick. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10.4-by-20.6-inch double-page spreads viewed at 22.2% of actual size.)
The buoyant uplift seems a bit pre-packaged but spot-on nonetheless. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: June 2, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-12196-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: June 2, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
No, whining won’t shorten the journey…but it can make it more entertaining.
Slow and steady may win the race—but it’s not this butterfly’s style.
Having achieved metamorphosis despite many fits and starts in The VERY Impatient Caterpillar (2019), Burach’s popeyed, loudly colored flutterer faces a whole new challenge: tailing the rest of the migrating butterfly flock across a long stretch of ocean. “200 MILES? How am I supposed to travel that far?” Diving down the blowhole of a passing whale to hitch a ride in its stomach (anatomical detail is not a strong point here) turns out to be a nonstarter…but the whale does prove to be a supportive cheerleader. It horks the anguished insect up, admitting that even whales can be anxious sometimes and urging it to “KEEP TRYING” and “Believe you can.” Finally the insect boldly proclaims, “I got this!” And 200 miles of storms and predators later, it does indeed got this, landing amid bright flowers to a warm welcome from its fluttery compatriots. “You found your way!” Alas, the triumph quickly turns to fresh panic with the news that it’s almost time to go dormant for the winter. “Dorma-WHAT-now?” Stay still all winter? Uh-oh. Young members of the “Are we there yet?” chorus will wince in sympathy. The insect’s exaggerated expressions and frantic expostulations will elicit plenty of giggles, and sly pictorial details will keep a broad range of readers happy during rereads.
No, whining won’t shorten the journey…but it can make it more entertaining. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: March 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-338-61500-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2021
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