A sweet and goofy addition to the unicorns-embrace-their-uniqueness shelf.
Cornelius J. Sparklesteed knows he’s different, but he’s not sure that’s OK.
On the isle of Hoofington, the Hoofapalooza festival celebrates “everything horse-tastic.” Haberdasher Cornelius finds himself called to Mayor Mare’s office; the mayor wants the “most un-unicorny hat” that Cornelius can make for him for Hoofapalooza. You see, the horses of Hoofington say some pretty mean things about unicorns (“Their horns are too sharp!”; “They fart rainbows!”). That’s why Cornelius always hides his horn under a hat. The hat Cornelius makes for the mayor is so fantastic that Mare asks Cornelius to perform at Hoofapalooza. On Monday, Cornelius meets his doughnut-making friend Tilly and suggests some creative ideas for new flavors. On Tuesday, he meets painter Hablo and suggests rainbows for his Hoofapalooza mural. Wednesday, he offers tips to DJ Salad. And all week, Cornelius works on his costume, making it bright and sparkly, and broods about the mean things he’s heard around the island. As he prepares to perform, he sees his creative friends have used and improved on his ideas…and he puts on the pranciest of dance performances with a hats-off finish to the astonished cheers of the audience. Tharp’s good-natured fable is bright and rainbow-y, with equines painted in fanciful colors. Its lightness and pep present a weighty subject in a way that will resonate with any who have felt “other.”
A sweet and goofy addition to the unicorns-embrace-their-uniqueness shelf. (Picture book. 3-9)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-31132-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Imprint
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Safe to creep on by.
Carle’s famous caterpillar expresses its love.
In three sentences that stretch out over most of the book’s 32 pages, the (here, at least) not-so-ravenous larva first describes the object of its love, then describes how that loved one makes it feel before concluding, “That’s why… / I[heart]U.” There is little original in either visual or textual content, much of it mined from The Very Hungry Caterpillar. “You are… / …so sweet,” proclaims the caterpillar as it crawls through the hole it’s munched in a strawberry; “…the cherry on my cake,” it says as it perches on the familiar square of chocolate cake; “…the apple of my eye,” it announces as it emerges from an apple. Images familiar from other works join the smiling sun that shone down on the caterpillar as it delivers assurances that “you make… / …the sun shine brighter / …the stars sparkle,” and so on. The book is small, only 7 inches high and 5 ¾ inches across when closed—probably not coincidentally about the size of a greeting card. While generations of children have grown up with the ravenous caterpillar, this collection of Carle imagery and platitudinous sentiment has little of his classic’s charm. The melding of Carle’s caterpillar with Robert Indiana’s iconic LOVE on the book’s cover, alas, draws further attention to its derivative nature.
Safe to creep on by. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Dec. 15, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-448-48932-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
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