A testament to the joy of creation and a celebration of a different kind of beauty—sparkling indeed.
Schneider’s playful take on the beauty makeover upends expectations with comedic—and powerful—results.
When Amelia receives Princess Sparkle-Heart, the girl and doll become fast friends. From dancing and tea parties to weddings and secrets, they share almost everything—much to the chagrin of the family dog. Growling and glowering his way across spreads, the canine has it in for the doll. So it’s no surprise when tragedy strikes and Sparkle-Heart is torn to shreds. But all is not lost, as Amelia and her mom make the doll anew. With extra stuffing for “protection,” a few extra button eyes (because it’s hard to choose “just two”), some “good teeth” and a comic-book–inspired outfit, the transformation is complete. After a suspenseful makeover reveal, it’s clear Amelia adores her now-monsterlike doll more than ever—and in that moment, Schneider redefines beauty and what is “princess.” Meticulous pen, ink and watercolor illustrations perfectly capture Amelia’s emotions; she is reminiscent of Pippi Longstocking, with her red, statement hairdo, blue denim overalls and plucky personality. Cinematic illustrations play with proportion and perspective, echoing the work of comic-book luminaries Geof Darrow and Moebius. A clever cover, with its curvy, bedazzled, pink title splashed across the page, acts as a beacon to the princess-obsessed, while craft-licious lettering toward the bottom hints at the tale’s interior.
A testament to the joy of creation and a celebration of a different kind of beauty—sparkling indeed. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-544-14228-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: March 2, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Ostentation without substance.
A kid’s take on an ancient tale.
Maximilian Midas is the ultimate capitalist. Displaying an infantile obsession with his mother’s gold necklace, by the age of 7 he’s built a fortune, starting with a lemonade stand, then selling the beverage “in stores throughout the land.” Told in an inconsistently metered ABCB rhyme scheme, the story follows the light-skinned boy’s fantastical rise in fortune and continued exploitation of others: sabotaging his competition’s lemonade stand with a dead mouse, charging his parents rent, and finally retreating to a castle overflowing with gold at the top of a mountain, alone with his fortune. When Max gets the bright idea to sprinkle gold dust on his cereal, he, like his namesake, turns into a golden statue, immobile except for “a little tear that Max had saved / Since he was one year old.” He’s magically transformed back into flesh and blood, his gold disappearing into the ether. Max decides to become a more humanitarian capitalist, musing that “Gold can never make you feel / as good as being nice.” Shannon’s oil paintings are detailed and bold, adding a layer of grotesquerie to the already vulgar story. Blending overt moralizing with fantastical elements somewhat muddles the message here, especially since children are less prone to wealth hoarding than adults, and at the end of the book, “mak[ing] millions” is still presented as the solution to problems. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Ostentation without substance. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35227-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet and unexpected addition to the waiting-for-baby shelf.
A big, yellow hound dog has small, wonderful dreams.
Emma’s dreams are doggily simple. Rendered in gray, they manifest above her contentedly slumbering form: “singing, dancing, rolling in grass, splashing in water, going for walks,” and eating. After she wakes and eats, she naps again, sprawled on her back, tummy distended, the very picture of canine bliss. Pages turn, with Cooper’s lyrical text focusing on Emma and her sensations: “The days went on, shifting and taking shape, and now there were times when her whole body felt strange, but there was no stopping the days.” A gently curving line of overlapping Emmas, rising, stretching, scratching, shifting, and resettling, underscores time’s march. Adult readers may be anxious at this point, fearing Emma’s impending death with the page turn—but no, it turns out Emma’s been literally full of wonders, and she gazes mildly at a puppy emerging from her own body. Then there they are, seven little Emmas, and they now embody her dreams. Cooper’s brushy, loose watercolors, outlined in swoops of ink, complement his Emma-focused text. She resides in a human home, but her owner appears only as tan-skinned hands extending from the margin to offer a bowl of food, caress her snout, or towel off a pup. In this way, Cooper invites readers into Emma’s interiority, allowing them to sit quietly and wonder with her.
A sweet and unexpected addition to the waiting-for-baby shelf. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: April 2, 2024
ISBN: 9781250884763
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2024
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