Bland, empty calories.
True friends are always there to help you pick up the pieces—and the baked goods.
Told in rhyming couplets, the story follows a bumblebee baker and her fleet of ladybug assistants as they prepare their daily treats for a waiting line of pseudo-Victorian insect customers. Alas, tragedy strikes when the ladybugs scent a “fragrant breeze” and swarm off, leaving the kitchen in disarray and a tearoom full of waiting customers. Discovering their flight, the baker is left stunned, and it’s up to her ant customers to save the day. The message of friendship to the rescue is slightly undercut by the baker’s paralysis during her own crisis and her reliance on others to solve her problems. The rhyme scheme is fair, if somewhat singsong-y in its cadence. A scattering of couplets suffer from either illogical phrasing given the visual context (“While sugar drifts like softest snow / Atop her puffy hat below”—the hat is pictured on her head and not obviously below anything) or lazy rhymes (“Cricket sounds the call to action / setting off an ant reaction”). The illustrations, oil under crackling varnish, are of a muted pastel hue with pops of brighter warm colors. The combination creates a dated vibe reminiscent of the early 1990s. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9.8-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 73% of actual size.)
Bland, empty calories. (Picture book. 6-10)Pub Date: Sept. 21, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-64686-070-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Barefoot Books
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2020
Disconcerting and possibly deadly dealings are afoot; certain to charm younger fans of the macabre.
In the latest installment of the delightfully disturbing chapter-book series, the mundane once more takes on supernatural qualities, this time in the form of veggies.
With this follow-up to Troubling Tonsils! (2025), our host, Jasper Rabbit, once more channels Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling. As Jasper narrates, we meet our heroes: fourth graders Thaddeus Badger and Oliver Possum, who love nothing more than eating junk food, particularly the hamburgers at Hurt-A-Burger (a mildly brilliant corporate name on the author’s part). When Oliver’s parents trick the two into a dinner of salads at their favorite fast-food joint, Thaddeus feels betrayed, but Oliver experiences something a little more dire. Soon after, Oliver starts acting strangely, and his parents begin behaving even more oddly. What’s going on? And does it have anything to do with the full moon? Tone is the true star of the show in this series; the mystery unspools thanks to the buildup of unnerving moments. Reynolds combines suspense with a keen ability to artistically frame both sunny innocent sequences and those rich with dark foreboding. Notably, this is no morality tale about eating your vegetables—this tale is fully on the side of its child readers. Brown’s black-and-white images, punctuated with eerie pops of green, heighten both horrifying and comedic moments.
Disconcerting and possibly deadly dealings are afoot; certain to charm younger fans of the macabre. (Chapter book. 6-9)Pub Date: Feb. 3, 2026
ISBN: 9781665961110
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2025
Charming.
An assortment of unusual characters form friendships and help each other become their best selves.
Mr. and Mrs. Tupper, who live at Number 3 Ramshorn Drive, are antiquarians. Their daughter, Jillian, loves and cares for a plant named Ivy, who has “three speckles on each leaf and three letters in her name.” Toasty, the grumpy goldfish, lives in an octagonal tank and wishes he were Jillian’s favorite; when Arthur the spider arrives inside an antique desk, he brings wisdom and insight. Ollie the violet plant, Louise the bee, and Sunny the canary each arrive with their own quirks and problems to solve. Each character has a distinct personality and perspective; sometimes they clash, but more often they learn to empathize, see each other’s points of view, and work to help one another. They also help the Tupper family with bills and a burglar. The Fan brothers’ soft-edged, old-fashioned, black-and-white illustrations depict Toasty and Arthur with tiny hats; Ivy and Ollie have facial expressions on their plant pots. The Tuppers have paper-white skin and dark hair. The story comes together like a recipe: Simple ingredients combine, transform, and rise into something wonderful. In its matter-of-fact wisdom, rich vocabulary (often defined within the text), hint of magic, and empathetic nonhuman characters who solve problems in creative ways, this delightful work is reminiscent of Ferris by Kate DiCamillo, Our Friend Hedgehog by Lauren Castillo, and Ivy Lost and Found by Cynthia Lord and Stephanie Graegin.
Charming. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: May 27, 2025
ISBN: 9781665942485
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
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