Joyfully affirming.
A Black nonbinary child finds ways to navigate their sensory sensitivities during Pride.
Every June, Marley wants nothing more than to join their grandparent Zaza at the Pride celebrations. And every June, just the thought of big crowds and loud noises makes Marley tense up with nerves, and, with a mixture of relief and disappointment, they tell Zaza to go without them. But this year, Zaza is receiving an award for their work with the trans community, and Marley refuses to miss it. Luckily, Marley has plenty of tools at their disposal—affirmations, breath work, noise-canceling headphones, and a stuffy to hug—and when the noise and bustle become overwhelming, Zaza is there to literally lift them up and remind them that, party or no, Pride is community and Marley is not alone. By the day’s end, Marley has made new friends, celebrated their grandparent, and soaked up the sustaining joy of belonging. Retener’s refreshingly inclusive tale lets young readers with sensory sensitivities see themselves not only in a book, but at Pride as well. Notably, the author makes clear that inaccessibility, not sensory needs, is the problem to be solved. Just as important is the inclusion modeled in Wiley’s vivid illustrations, which depict a Black queer protagonist, multiple gender-expansive and -exploring support characters, and intergenerational queer representation. Color-saturated, cut-paper-style spreads capture the exuberance and cacophony of Pride celebration yet give both Marley and readers visual breathing room. Zaza is Black; other characters are diverse.
Joyfully affirming. (glossary, the history of Pride) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 2, 2024
ISBN: 9798888590744
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Barefoot Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
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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