A worthy addition to the arsenal of bedtime fear-of-the-dark books.
A sleepless kid tackles nighttime fears of lurking monsters with an imaginary army of medieval knights and guardians.
In the shadowy gloom of late night, when sinister beings come out, a protective team takes its place inside and outside the protagonist’s home. Three watchmen dressed in armor stand ready at the front door “with broad shield and heavy sword.” Mounted bareback, “the Horsemen charge, / the Horsemen hunt. / …for all will be outrun.” On the tops of rooftops and trees, a group of Archers aim their bows at the sky. A Midnight Flock of owls swoops in to “search from skies above” while “a fleet patrols the sea.” And in the protagonist’s bedroom “the Knights of Near… / …stand where there is fear.” Deep asleep in “your castle, / …your kingdom” the child can rest assured of the promise made by “THE NIGHT KNIGHTS” that the “night will be still. / The night will be safe.” The staccato, second-person narration is paired with opaque, evocative paintings done in fuchsia and midnight blue that embrace the eeriness of a middle-of-the-night atmosphere. Sharp-eyed kids will note that the powerful warrior images come to life from the protagonist’s toy-filled bedroom. The protagonist is white, with short, mussed hair and blue pajamas.
A worthy addition to the arsenal of bedtime fear-of-the-dark books. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4197-2846-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: March 17, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2018
Fast and furious action guaranteed to keep new readers laughing and turning pages.
Never underestimate the chaotic fun that magic and an angry bouncing ball can create.
When Frog goes to the library, he borrows a book on magic. He then heads to a nearby park to read up on the skills necessary to becoming “a great magician.” Suddenly, a deflated yellow ball lands with a “Thud!” at his feet. Although he flexes his new magician muscles, Frog’s spells fall as flat as the ball. But when Frog shouts “Phooey!” and kicks the ball away, it inflates to become a big, angry ball. The ball begins to chase Frog, so he seeks shelter in the library—and Frog and ball turn the library’s usual calm into chaos. The cartoon chase crescendos. The ball bounces into the middle of a game of chess, interrupts a puppet show, and crashes into walls and bookcases. Staying just one bounce ahead, Frog runs, hides, grabs a ride on a book cart, and scatters books and papers as he slides across the library furniture before an alligator patron catches the ball and kicks it out the library door. But that’s not the end of the ball….Caple’s tidy panels and pastel-hued cartoons make a surprisingly effective setting for the slapstick, which should have young readers giggling. Simple sentences—often just subject and verb—with lots of repetition propel the action. Frog’s nonsense-word spells (“Poof Wiffle, Bop Bip!”) are both funny and excellent practice in phonetics. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Fast and furious action guaranteed to keep new readers laughing and turning pages. (Graphic early reader. 5-7)Pub Date: Aug. 10, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-8234-4341-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
A good choice to share with wriggly listeners, who will soon be joining in.
A Halloween book that rides on the rhythms of “Over in the Meadow.”
Although Halloween rhyming counting books abound, this stands out, with a text that begs to be read aloud and cartoony digital illustrations that add goofy appeal. A girl and two boys set off on Halloween night to go trick-or-treating. As the children leave the cozy, warm glow of their street, readers see a haunted house on a hill, with gravestones dotting the front yard. Climbing the twisty path to the dark estate takes time, so the story turns to the antics inside the house. “At the old haunted house in a room with no sun / lived a warty green witch and her wee witch one. ‘SPELL!’ cried the witch. ‘POOF!’ cried the one. / And they both practiced spells in the room with no sun.” The actions of the scary creatures within may seem odd, but the rhyme must go on: Cats scratch, goblins dust, monsters stir, and mummies mix. Eventually the three kids reach the front door and are invited in for stew, cake and brew. At first shocked by the gruesome fare, the children recover quickly and get caught up in partying with the slightly spooky but friendly menagerie.
A good choice to share with wriggly listeners, who will soon be joining in. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Aug. 12, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4778-4769-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Two Lions
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2014
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