Competent coverage of a sadly underrepresented holiday.
On the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha, Peg + Cat practice math and kindness.
Peg, a white girl with strawberry-blonde hair, and Cat, a purple feline, visit their friends Yasmina, a beige-skinned girl wearing a hijab, and Amir, a light-brown–skinned boy wearing a suit and tie with sandals. Eid al-Adha is a “very special holiday” that Peg and Cat “had never even heard of.” Following the signature Peg + Cat formula, they first “rock out” in song. Since Eid al-Adha is about “giving to those with less,” the less than/more than mathematical symbols are introduced. The four characters play musical instruments, and Yasmina piles a silver tray with foods. Following Islamic tradition, they separate the meat into thirds: one-third for the family, one-third for neighbors and friends, and one-third for charity. Amir places two meatballs on each plate, but Peg notices that the meatballs are different sizes. This is a “Big Problem,” which they solve with a pan balance. Finally, they head out to the party. When they stop at the soup kitchen to donate some meatballs, they use math again to help out there, and when Cat shares his coveted honey cakes, he discovers how good it feels to give. The illustrations (assembled from the TV episode the book is based on) are cartoony and colorful, with graphing paper and mathematical equations in the background. Fans of Peg + Cat will enjoy learning about the Islamic holiday, but readers unfamiliar with the show may not appreciate the book’s formulaic structure.
Competent coverage of a sadly underrepresented holiday. (Picture book. 3-8)Pub Date: June 26, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-7636-9932-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick Entertainment
Review Posted Online: April 15, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2018
This bunny escapes all the traps but fails to find a logical plot or an emotional connection with readers.
The bestselling series (How to Catch an Elf, 2016, etc.) about capturing mythical creatures continues with a story about various ways to catch the Easter Bunny as it makes its annual deliveries.
The bunny narrates its own story in rhyming text, beginning with an introduction at its office in a manufacturing facility that creates Easter eggs and candy. The rabbit then abruptly takes off on its delivery route with a tiny basket of eggs strapped to its back, immediately encountering a trap with carrots and a box propped up with a stick. The narrative focuses on how the Easter Bunny avoids increasingly complex traps set up to catch him with no explanation as to who has set the traps or why. These traps include an underground tunnel, a fluorescent dance floor with a hidden pit of carrots, a robot bunny, pirates on an island, and a cannon that shoots candy fish, as well as some sort of locked, hazardous site with radiation danger. Readers of previous books in the series will understand the premise, but others will be confused by the rabbit’s frenetic escapades. Cartoon-style illustrations have a 1960s vibe, with a slightly scary, bow-tied bunny with chartreuse eyes and a glowing palette of neon shades that shout for attention.
This bunny escapes all the traps but fails to find a logical plot or an emotional connection with readers. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-3817-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Jan. 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2017
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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
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