Unlikely to turn many arachnophobes, despite Johnny’s cheery smile.
Spiders are a little scary, even the pretty ones and even the ones that come bearing delicious gifts.
Mind you, Johnny is not pretty. He’s got a nice smile (complete with upward-tending fangs) and rosy checks, but other creatures tend to look askance at the round, black, bug-eyed spider. Johnny can’t get a word out of his mouth before the other creatures heap scorn upon him and flee, even though he bears a cake box. They variously call him a “stinky, prickly beast,” an “itchy-scratchy thing,” a “filthy, fat slimeball” (says the snail), and an “awfully ugly creep.” So Johnny dolefully sings “Happy Birthday” to himself and then scarfs the whole cake. “Johnny is a very sweet [literally, metaphorically] spider, but nobody knows that….Except you! So if you see Johnny around, give him a very big kiss,” the text concludes. It is hard to know if this book is one big pull on the leg. The expressive, cartoony artwork is nice and rich, but spiders don’t stink, scratch, produce slime, or revel in filth, though they do creep (in scary bursts). And give a spider a “very big kiss”? You first. Van Genechten has given expectations a good twist, but the story is short on harmony or communication—for that matter, it’s short on story.
Unlikely to turn many arachnophobes, despite Johnny’s cheery smile. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-60537-377-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clavis
Review Posted Online: April 24, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2018
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it.
What happens when a robot washes up alone on an island?
“Everything was just right on the island.” Brown beautifully re-creates the first days of Roz, the protagonist of his Wild Robot novels, as she adapts to living in the natural world. A storm-tossed ship, seen in the opening just before the title page, and a packing crate are the only other human-made objects to appear in this close-up look at the robot and her new home. Roz emerges from the crate, and her first thought as she sets off up a grassy hill—”This must be where I belong”—is sweetly glorious, a note of recognition rather than conquest. Roz learns to move, hide, and communicate like the creatures she meets. When she discovers an orphaned egg—and the gosling Brightbill, who eventually hatches—her decision to be his mother seems a natural extension of her adaptation. Once he flies south for the winter, her quiet wait across seasons for his return is a poignant portrayal of separation and change. Brown’s clean, precise lines and deep, light-filled colors offer a sense of what Roz might be seeing, suggesting a place that is alive yet deeply serene and radiant. Though the book stands alone, it adds an immensely appealing dimension to Roz’s world. Round thumbnails offer charming peeks into the island world, depicting Roz’s animal neighbors and Brightbill’s maturation.
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 24, 2025
ISBN: 9780316669467
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.
A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.
Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780593702901
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
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