Grandmas who believe in the Jenny Craig weight-loss program are the only possible market for this book.
Weight-loss guru Craig offers lifestyle advice for children wrapped up in a sugary junk-food version of a pony story.
Young Genevieve (who goes by Jenny) wants to swap work at a nearby stable for a chance to attend a summer riding camp. The owner accepts and offers her the use of an old horse she names Candy Ride. They both love sugared snacks, but the goodies make her and her horse feel awful, while exercise and healthy eating transform them into horse-show champions. Although the introduction features a photograph of a racehorse Craig once owned, she cuts a lot of literary corners in her representation of basic horse care—the idea that a child could alter a lesson horse’s feeding plan is preposterous, as is the idea that the horses wouldn’t have been appropriately fed already by the stable owner. As for the likelihood of a girl who isn’t strong enough to ride lifting hay bales as a workout? Those bales weigh between 40 and 70 pounds each. Edelson’s colorful watercolor illustrations likewise play fast and loose with horse anatomy and tack—some is completely impossible—and, aside from one vaguely well-tanned girl, feature only white girls as riders.
Grandmas who believe in the Jenny Craig weight-loss program are the only possible market for this book. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-62157-085-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Regnery
Review Posted Online: June 25, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2013
A lushly illustrated tale that underscores living fully, appreciating loved ones, and accepting loss.
A young prince’s attempt to defeat Death sparks serious consequences in this picture book.
Hispanic Prince Horatio procures a crystal, enabling him to “peer into” Death’s realm. His fascination with watching Death, a faceless, hooded figure, surges when his mother, Queen Amelia, and sister, Princess Rose Marie, become ill and fall into a deep sleep. When Death threatens to take them, Horatio traps the figure in a sack and ties it to a high tree branch. Death warns that now “no more life shall begin.” Years pass. While nobody dies, people continue aging, including Horatio’s slumbering mother and sister. On his 100th birthday, Horatio expresses regret about his lonely existence. He frees Death and offers his life in exchange for his mother’s and sister’s. Death agrees and shows Horatio an alternate timeline in which his sister lives a wonderful life. Horatio is transported to the day he trapped Death and perishes falling from the tree. Rose Marie is devastated, unaware of Horatio’s sacrifice. Now “one with the wind,” Horatio awaits his loved ones. Poignantly underscoring themes like mortality, remorse, and fate, Oldenburg’s tale about Horatio’s experiences may encourage readers to consider “what truly matters” in their own lives. Fantasy fans will enjoy the adventurous plot and medieval-like settings. Reminiscent of an animated film, Nailon, Ramos, and Thai’s full-color illustrations have a photographic quality, with shadows, shades, and tones. Background locations feature vivid details, including castles, spindly trees, and green hills.
A lushly illustrated tale that underscores living fully, appreciating loved ones, and accepting loss.Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2019
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: March 7, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A hilarious romp featuring a small wild thing with a big, big personality.
“I am deeply, deeply misunderstood,” declares a child who plainly has really saintly parents.
Positive that they are actually a princess, a child sees nothing amiss in scribbling down the stairway wall with a crayon, harnessing their baby brother to pull a royal wagon, and ignoring instructions to clean their room—or, for that matter, wearing a sticky, hollowed-out pineapple top as a crown and inviting a growing swarm of buzzing flies (or “subjects”) to gather. Paired with a humorous declamatory monologue, Hahn’s appealing watercolor scenes follow a small, scowling, light-skinned child with an outsize gift for making fantastic messes, from garbage-strewn bedroom to a kitchen turned utterly topsy-turvy and then, perhaps at the strong, if unmentioned, invitation of an unseen parent, outdoors. Having wielded a fly swatter against some of their more rambunctious “subjects” and sensing rebellion in the ranks, the protagonist at last decides it’s time for an upgrade to a new and, readers will likely agree, more suitable role: warrior queen! (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A hilarious romp featuring a small wild thing with a big, big personality. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: May 31, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-79836-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
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