To quote the last line, “so very, very good.”
Goaded by a goat, Ada decides against a solitary life.
The hardworking, conscientious Ada channels the industrious, nature-loving protagonist of Barbara Cooney’s Miss Rumphius as she dreams of “a house where she would grow beautiful red apples and wear a soft, gray coat.” Graphite and watercolor illustrations with gentle washes evoke the work of Amy Schwartz or Marla Frazee, with cozy details abounding in the idyllic rural setting. The light-skinned Ada envisions a home “where her life and everything in it would be just so.” She starts renovating a dilapidated hillside cabin and encounters a goat caught in a fence. Compassion overrides her desire for a “quiet and ordered, simple and good” life, and she brings the injured goat home. Once it heals, however, it wreaks havoc on Ada’s house, her “beautiful red apples,” and even the “soft, gray coat,” which the goat repeatedly snatches away to the rooftop. Finally, Ada sends the goat off and tries to restore order. Alas, order isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and Ada, her soft, gray coat now covered with colorful patches representing her personal transformation, wishes the goat would return. When it does, a wonderfully satisfying twist shows the goat with five little kids cozied up on the rooftop, now transformed into a flowery, caprine oasis.
To quote the last line, “so very, very good.” (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Aug. 5, 2025
ISBN: 9780823450800
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Neal Porter/Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2025
Still, preschoolers will likely savor this mouthwatering treatment of a subject that looms large in many early school...
The familiar theme of the challenges facing a new kid in town is given an original treatment by photographer Border in this book of photos of three-dimensional objects in a simple modeled landscape.
Peanut Butter is represented by a slice of white bread spread with the popular condiment. The other characters in the story—a hamburger with a pair of hot dogs in tow, a bowl of alphabet soup, a meatball jumping a rope of spaghetti, a carton of French fries and a pink cupcake—are represented by skillfully crafted models of these foods, anthropomorphized using simple wire construction. Rejected by each character in turn in his search for playmates, Peanut Butter discovers in the end that Jelly is his true match (not Cupcake, as the title suggests), perhaps because she is the only one who looks like him, being a slice of white bread spread with jelly. The friendly foods end up happily playing soccer together. Some parents may have trouble with the unabashedly happy depiction of carbs and American junk food (no carrots or celery sticks in this landscape), and others may find themselves troubled by the implication that friendship across difference is impossible.
Still, preschoolers will likely savor this mouthwatering treatment of a subject that looms large in many early school experiences. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 29, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-399-16773-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2014
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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