A pleasant but not groundbreaking effort, with a cute, yellow elephant leading the charge.
An anthropomorphic elephant girl named Chloe Zoe attends an Easter egg hunt with her two best friends and learns a lesson about sharing.
Chloe Zoe narrates her springtime story in present tense, detailing her family’s preparations for a secular holiday celebration. At the annual Easter egg hunt in their neighborhood park, the Easter Bunny hides lots of eggs and candy, along with “one special, sparkling golden egg with a surprise inside.” Excitement ensues when Chloe Zoe joins her friends George the giraffe and Mary Margaret the crocodile at the egg hunt along with their families. Mary Margaret likes only pink-colored eggs, so George and Chloe Zoe spend their time searching for pink eggs for their friend. When Mary Margaret finds the golden egg, Chloe Zoe is initially upset, but her friend shares the prize of gold coins found in the egg, announcing, “Three coins for three best friends!” Cheery illustrations use a cartoon style with the suggestion of collage in the brightly hued clothing textures. The buoyant art features a cast of winsome animal characters dressed in human-style clothing and lots of patterns, flowers, and motion. The plot is simple enough for young preschoolers to follow, and the compact, square trim size adds to an overall cozy feeling. Additional stories in the Chloe Zoe series will explore other holidays and common experiences such as starting school.
A pleasant but not groundbreaking effort, with a cute, yellow elephant leading the charge. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-8075-2460-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2016
A muddled message shoots for the moon but never quite gets all the way off the ground.
A little mouse experiences BIG changes thanks to a spectacular talent.
Dee’s a singer to her core. She croons absolutely everywhere, so when her teacher Miss Pink suggests that her students bring in something that symbolizes what they enjoy doing, Dee brings in a song. As she sings it, however, her joy causes her to physically grow huge! At first this makes her feel special, but as the day goes on she feels lonely and out of place. Shrinking back to her normal size, she worries that this means she can never sing again. But thanks to the encouragement of her mother and little sister, she realizes that being special is nothing to be ashamed of. However, though her classmates have skills of their own, only Dee changes, indicating that some talents are more transformative than others. After all, while everyone is enthralled by Dee, Ren the turtle’s talent for drawing a replica of a space station is something he “made everyone watch.” The true standout in this show comes from Sinquett’s dynamic art, capable of encompassing the emotional highs and lows of elementary school kids. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A muddled message shoots for the moon but never quite gets all the way off the ground. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 27, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-368-07806-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
A laugh-inducing Halloween read-along.
The Crayons return in time for Halloween as vampire-costumed Purple coaches the dressed-up wax pack through its first trick-or-treating venture.
It takes five houses’ worth of door-knocks for this skeleton crew of seven to perfect the protocol, with enough outlandish flubs to generate giggles in Halloween-savvy preschoolers. At Door No. 1, Orange, dressed as a jack-o’-lantern, says, “Give us your candy, Lady.” At the next, the gang, encouraged by Purple to “think holiday,” responds with an impressive array of misguided greetings, including “Merry Christmas!” and “Happy American Cheese Month!” Later, White, levitating impressively in a ghost costume, overreacts to Halloween’s “scary” aspect by overwhelming residents with a “BOO!” Peach, unnamed here but recognizably wrapperless from the initial title, exuberantly (and inappropriately) repeats, “I’m naked!” Finally, the troupe perfects its treat-inducing line, though a certain ghost cannot resist an ad lib. This excursion, like many of the holiday-themed Crayon books, has a smaller trim size, a lower price point, and far less complexity than Daywalt and Jeffers’ first two Crayon titles. Still, the pair deftly let young children in on the jokes through funny, hand-lettered dialogue and the visually telegraphed, all-in haplessness of this well-branded band. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A laugh-inducing Halloween read-along. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-62102-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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