More mellow holiday antics from the cats who just wanna have fun.
The Moontime Cats return, this time with an imposter in their ranks.
Nocturnal feline besties Carl, Biscuit, Peewee, and Mittens, who live to make (mild-mannered) mischief, know that “tonight is special. The neighborhood is spookier than usual.” Going unsaid: It’s Halloween! Carl, Biscuit, and Peewee are costumed for the occasion and declare Mittens’ turtle getup “incredible! Very realistic. Well done, Mittens!” But that isn’t Mittens in disguise: It’s a real turtle! And the turtle-costumed real Mittens? She’s on her own on the trick-or-treating scene, looking for her friends (“Meow?”). Meanwhile, the other cats and Mittens’ doppelgänger frolic in a graveyard, flee from a barking, chained-up dog, and sing a “spooky song” in a tree. Fortunately, the fake Mittens’ fall from the tree is broken by the real Mittens, and the friendship circle opens to let in one more. This series’ small dramas are winningly reminiscent of the experiences of human toddlers, who, like the Moontime Cats, skate from one mini-tempest to the next. Working in colored pencil and watercolor, Mylie once more provides shimmery hues on black backgrounds—a look that’s tailor-made for a Halloween romp. The streets that the cats walk are aglow with lights, leaves, and wide-open eyes likely to match beguiled young readers’ own.
More mellow holiday antics from the cats who just wanna have fun. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: July 7, 2026
ISBN: 9781536233742
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: April 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
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
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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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