Halloween has not been as shivery, silly, and satisfying as in this polar romp.
While his friends busy themselves getting the igloo ready for Halloween, Tacky the Penguin is less than helpful.
Lester and Munsinger continue their popular, long-running series with another tale about lovable Tacky. Although the other penguins get a bit exasperated when he samples all of the treats of “yummy gummy Swedish fish, batcicles, and awful waffles,” they do want him to participate in the Halloween festivities. The penguins decide to choose costumes that reflect what scares them the most. Readers will either relate to or giggle at their choices: an insect, the dark, a monster, “a stormy outfit,” and bubbles. But Tacky cannot decide on what to wear, so he goes off to think. In the meantime, a long line of trick-or-treaters arrives at the haunted igloo—everything goes wonderfully until there is a commotion at the door. When three huge ghosts swoop in, the penguins quickly learn they are their feared predators. The two wolves and the bear begin to tear the igloo apart looking for treats. If all the sweets are gone—and they are, thanks to Tacky—they are “gonna catch some pretty penguins / And we’ll grab ’em by the toe / And we’ll plop ’em in our treatsie bags / Hodey ho ho.” Luckily, Tacky has selected a very scary costume in the nick of time—one that ends up frightening the trio of bullies so much they run away.
Halloween has not been as shivery, silly, and satisfying as in this polar romp. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: July 21, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-544-33994-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Not enough tricks to make this a treat.
Another holiday title (How To Catch the Easter Bunny by Adam Wallace, illustrated by Elkerton, 2017) sticks to the popular series’ formula.
Rhyming four-line verses describe seven intrepid trick-or-treaters’ efforts to capture the witch haunting their Halloween. Rhyming roadblocks with toolbox is an acceptable stretch, but too often too many words or syllables in the lines throw off the cadence. Children familiar with earlier titles will recognize the traps set by the costume-clad kids—a pulley and box snare, a “Tunnel of Tricks.” Eventually they accept her invitation to “floss, bump, and boogie,” concluding “the dance party had hit the finale at last, / each dancing monster started to cheer! / There’s no doubt about it, we have to admit: / This witch threw the party of the year!” The kids are diverse, and their costumes are fanciful rather than scary—a unicorn, a dragon, a scarecrow, a red-haired child in a lab coat and bow tie, a wizard, and two space creatures. The monsters, goblins, ghosts, and jack-o'-lanterns, backgrounded by a turquoise and purple night sky, are sufficiently eerie. Still, there isn’t enough originality here to entice any but the most ardent fans of Halloween or the series. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Not enough tricks to make this a treat. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-72821-035-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: May 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Only for dedicated fans of the series.
When a kid gets the part of the ninja master in the school play, it finally seems to be the right time to tackle the closet monster.
“I spot my monster right away. / He’s practicing his ROAR. / He almost scares me half to death, / but I won’t be scared anymore!” The monster is a large, fluffy poison-green beast with blue hands and feet and face and a fluffy blue-and-green–striped tail. The kid employs a “bag of tricks” to try to catch the monster: in it are a giant wind-up shark, two cans of silly string, and an elaborate cage-and-robot trap. This last works, but with an unexpected result: the monster looks sad. Turns out he was only scaring the boy to wake him up so they could be friends. The monster greets the boy in the usual monster way: he “rips a massive FART!!” that smells like strawberries and lime, and then they go to the monster’s house to meet his parents and play. The final two spreads show the duo getting ready for bed, which is a rather anticlimactic end to what has otherwise been a rambunctious tale. Elkerton’s bright illustrations have a TV-cartoon aesthetic, and his playful beast is never scary. The narrator is depicted with black eyes and hair and pale skin. Wallace’s limping verses are uninspired at best, and the scansion and meter are frequently off.
Only for dedicated fans of the series. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-4894-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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