Fans will enjoy the many laugh-out-loud scenes regardless of the less-than-smooth text. Get ready for an onslaught of...
Curtis and Cornell pair up for their 10th outing to hilariously chronicle the many “firsts” their spunky, irreverent protagonist experiences.
With an abundance of kinky, sunny yellow hair and a face nimble with a variety of rapidly changing and humorously exaggerated facial expressions, a young girl blithely describes her initial feats: riding a two-wheeler, choosing a pet and picking up its poop, getting caught in a lie, going to work with Dad, attending ballet class and playing T-ball. The comic narrative moves forward with a choppy clip—some of the rhyming couplets are a tad forced or use odd phrasing: “I tried for the first time to taste my mom’s truffles / that apparently come from when pigs use their snuffles.” Some humor seems aimed at adults, but in the main, it employs the right amount of silliness, such as when milk squirts through her nose or when she becomes hopelessly tangled in her jump-rope. Also in the frenetic flurry of bright watercolor-and-ink images, readers learn about some homonyms and peruse a funny chart of the umpteen ways to “tie” shoes. Finally the girl comes to realize that “first things / first happen / when I’m brave, true, and strong.” Indeed.
Fans will enjoy the many laugh-out-loud scenes regardless of the less-than-smooth text. Get ready for an onslaught of enthusiastic requests. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-06-144155-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 24, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2012
Nighttime comes alive here.
The protagonist of Millie Fleur’s Poison Garden(2024) once more teaches the townspeople a lesson in stepping out of their comfort zones.
The residents of Garden Glen fear the dark and keep their homes illuminated all night. All but Millie Fleur La Fae. She adores darkness and, since moving here, has missed the nocturnal creatures that avoid the lit-up town. “The Dark isn’t scary,” Millie Fleur assures the townspeople. “You just need to get to know her.” Together, Millie Fleur and the Dark, a hulking being with glowing eyes standing by the forest’s edge, lead the night creatures to her moon garden, where plants burst with delicious aromas that waft through town. Bearing lanterns, the enchanted young neighbors follow their noses to the garden, where Millie Fleur advises them to extinguish their lights. Plants with quirky names like Forty-winks Fern and Snoozing Sugarplum safely light their path. Initially timid, the kids soon discover that the Dark offers new and rewarding experiences. Thereafter, Garden Glen’s lights dim, moon gardens flourish, night creatures settle in, and the town embraces darkness. This warm and pleasant bedtime tale will reassure kids frightened of the dark. Mandin makes a strong case that nighttime should be savored; her work will spark a sense of wonder about natural phenomena not evident during the day. The digital illustrations—set, unsurprisingly, against mostly blue backgrounds—are lovely, infused with a sweetly gothic sensibility. Millie and her mom are pale-skinned; the neighbors are racially diverse.
Nighttime comes alive here. (author’s note about real-life night creatures) (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: July 1, 2025
ISBN: 9781339023373
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Orchard/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A strong, accessible diary story for readers seeking an adorable animal tale.
Bub the anxious pug tackles snow days and new neighbors in his second outing.
Bub, acclaimed by some as “the cutest pug on the planet,” at first shares the enthusiasm owner Bella expresses about snow days even though he doesn’t know what they are. Then Duchess the cat (mildly antagonistic, in typical feline fashion) rains on Bub’s parade by pointing out that snow is water—and Bub’s no fan of rain or baths. After a comedic and disastrous first attempt, Bub learns how to properly dress for snow and enjoy it. The outdoor fun’s cut short by mysterious noises coming from the new neighbor, which frighten Bella into thinking there’s a monster. Bub puts on a Sherlock Holmes get-up to investigate but becomes afraid himself of the new neighbor’s large dog. Finally, Bella meets Jack, who’s been working on a tree fort, and his dog, Luna, who is enthusiastically friendly. The story ends on a positive note, as they all happily work together on the fort. The full-color cartoon illustrations, especially of Bub, are adorably expressive and certain to please the age group. The generous font and format—short, diary-entry paragraphs and speech-bubble conversations—create a quick pace. Bub’s stylized emoji bubbles return and are most hilarious when used to express his nervous flatulence. Bella and Jack both present white.
A strong, accessible diary story for readers seeking an adorable animal tale. (Fantasy. 5-7)Pub Date: Dec. 26, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-53006-3
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2019
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