A winning mix of light storytelling, travelogue, and character-building messages of kindness and inclusion.
A travel-loving puppy looks for treasure on an island in New Zealand in Bender’s illustrated children’s series entry.
In previous chapter books in this appealing series for early readers, floppy-eared pup Lindie Lou visited Seattle’s Space Needle in Up in Space (2016), an organic farm in Iowa in Harvest Time (2017), and New York City in Big City Magic( 2020), and she accompanied scientists to the Arctic in On Ice (2021). Here, the inquisitive and confident Lindie Lou and her human caretaker, Kate, travel from Seattle to a beach house in Mercury Bay, New Zealand, joining other adults, their children, and one of Lindie Lou’s sisters, the timid Diamond. (In each book, Lindie Lou encounters one or more of her litter mates and their adoptive families.) As the title suggests, Lindie Lou, Diamond, and the kids go on a pretend treasure hunt, then embark on a real one when they hear that a local diver has lost a traditional family heirloom—a carved, greenstone hei tiki. The main characters make a new friend: a little girl named Lilly who has an aversion to the feel of sand and a need to have things just so. The other children and the pups accept her differences and celebrate with her when she contributes to their treasure hunt. The author doesn’t deviate from the series’ successful formula: a real-life, site-specific setting; a simple plot with a dash of mild suspense; and, to wind things up, “Fun Facts,” a reading comprehension quiz, and more. Here, Lindie Lou effectively encourages Diamond to overcome her lack of confidence and fear of the unfamiliar. The action is interspersed with informative tidbits about the location, historic events, and the culture of the region (including a portrayal of a traditional Māori haka dance. Some words and phrases are set apart from the clear, large typeface by different colors, letter sizes, and positions, which will add to visual fun for young readers. Again, illustrator Willows enhances the story with expressive, watercolor-style cartoon images of the various characters.
A winning mix of light storytelling, travelogue, and character-building messages of kindness and inclusion.Pub Date: March 1, 2023
ISBN: 9781943493623
Page Count: 187
Publisher: Pina Publishing
Review Posted Online: June 14, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
Perfect for those looking for a scary Halloween tale that won’t leave them with more fears than they started with. Pair with...
Reynolds and Brown have crafted a Halloween tale that balances a really spooky premise with the hilarity that accompanies any mention of underwear.
Jasper Rabbit needs new underwear. Plain White satisfies him until he spies them: “Creepy underwear! So creepy! So comfy! They were glorious.” The underwear of his dreams is a pair of radioactive-green briefs with a Frankenstein face on the front, the green color standing out all the more due to Brown’s choice to do the entire book in grayscale save for the underwear’s glowing green…and glow they do, as Jasper soon discovers. Despite his “I’m a big rabbit” assertion, that glow creeps him out, so he stuffs them in the hamper and dons Plain White. In the morning, though, he’s wearing green! He goes to increasing lengths to get rid of the glowing menace, but they don’t stay gone. It’s only when Jasper finally admits to himself that maybe he’s not such a big rabbit after all that he thinks of a clever solution to his fear of the dark. Brown’s illustrations keep the backgrounds and details simple so readers focus on Jasper’s every emotion, writ large on his expressive face. And careful observers will note that the underwear’s expression also changes, adding a bit more creep to the tale.
Perfect for those looking for a scary Halloween tale that won’t leave them with more fears than they started with. Pair with Dr. Seuss’ tale of animate, empty pants. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Aug. 22, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0298-0
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
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