Automation and natural environments come to a sweet accord in this gentle paean to taking time out.
The latest in Kuefler’s Digger series deftly melds mechanized wonder with a tender appreciation of the natural world.
In an open clearing in the woods, Digger and his construction crew are hard at work when he accidentally uncovers a caterpillar. Though everyone is entranced by it, the work waits for no one. However, the caterpillar has other plans. It immediately climbs up Digger and forms a chrysalis. Digger is now stuck in place, but in waiting for the caterpillar to emerge, he is able to appreciate the river, trees, sun, and wind in ways he couldn’t before. And when the butterfly emerges at last, it leads Digger and his friends to a place filled with other butterflies where they can relax together without feeling the need to work. Helpful backmatter spells out each stage of a caterpillar’s life. The construction-equipment characters may seem at odds with the woodsy setting (given the implication of the destruction of the natural world), but the story expertly avoids the conflict by having the crew work on a project in an already empty clearing. While not overtly a book of mindfulness, this gentle look at taking time to pay attention to nature relays its message without overt proselytizing, and as always, Kuefler’s bold, blocky illustrations bring the tale to life beautifully, imbuing his vehicular cast with verve and personality. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Automation and natural environments come to a sweet accord in this gentle paean to taking time out. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 23, 2023
ISBN: 9780063237940
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Safe to creep on by.
Carle’s famous caterpillar expresses its love.
In three sentences that stretch out over most of the book’s 32 pages, the (here, at least) not-so-ravenous larva first describes the object of its love, then describes how that loved one makes it feel before concluding, “That’s why… / I[heart]U.” There is little original in either visual or textual content, much of it mined from The Very Hungry Caterpillar. “You are… / …so sweet,” proclaims the caterpillar as it crawls through the hole it’s munched in a strawberry; “…the cherry on my cake,” it says as it perches on the familiar square of chocolate cake; “…the apple of my eye,” it announces as it emerges from an apple. Images familiar from other works join the smiling sun that shone down on the caterpillar as it delivers assurances that “you make… / …the sun shine brighter / …the stars sparkle,” and so on. The book is small, only 7 inches high and 5 ¾ inches across when closed—probably not coincidentally about the size of a greeting card. While generations of children have grown up with the ravenous caterpillar, this collection of Carle imagery and platitudinous sentiment has little of his classic’s charm. The melding of Carle’s caterpillar with Robert Indiana’s iconic LOVE on the book’s cover, alas, draws further attention to its derivative nature.
Safe to creep on by. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Dec. 15, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-448-48932-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.
A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.
Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780593702901
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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