A worthwhile story that promotes self-acceptance.
In Meltzer’s illustrated story, a case of sibling rivalry evolves into universal lessons for all children.
Fraternal twins Hunter (a boy) and Harper (a girl) are sent outside by their mother to play together after fighting indoors. In a move typical of young siblings, they band together against their mother: “They decided to build a fort tall enough to keep her out!” While searching for materials to build their fort, Hunter finds “a speckled stone with sparkles that danced in the sunlight.” He uses the stone to count Harper’s freckles, making her mad (“He knew she didn’t like her freckles”). With determination, Harper sets off to find something better than Hunter’s speckled stone. She hopes to discover a stick that can double as a magic wand—one that can take away Hunter’s stone and turn her mother into a frog. Meanwhile, as Hunter lies on his back examining his stone, he drops it on his head. Harper rushes over to check on him, and as she does, he begins counting her freckles again. Harper yells at her brother to stop and wishes that Hunter’s “super-spotty sparkle stone” could erase all her freckles. Surprised, Hunter shares that he actually likes Harper’s freckles and sees beautiful things in her face that are created by her pigmentation. With this new perspective, Harper delightedly realizes her brother is right. Meltzer’s simple story demonstrates how sibling rivalry often occurs out of jealousy. The author conveys a message of positivity, encouraging children to embrace the beauty found in one’s own facial features. Camarra’s mixed-media illustrations feature paper collages layered onto watercolors. While the decision to render Hunter dressed in blue and Harper with pink hair feels stereotypical and a little distracting, the colorful artwork enhances the text nicely, including a bit of whimsy amid the more serious moments.
A worthwhile story that promotes self-acceptance. (Fiction. 4-8 years old)Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2024
ISBN: 9798891382718
Page Count: 38
Publisher: Mascot Kids
Review Posted Online: April 24, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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