A zany, comedic fairy tale with a contemporary twist.
Surprises abound and social conventions turn upside down in debut author Gribble’s wacky, lighthearted riff on the fairy-tale tradition.
Intelligent, kindhearted Katy is an ordinary girl with a decidedly improper penchant for chewing gum. Her parents have never been thrilled with her bubble-gum fixation, so when the family is invited to celebrate Prince Will’s birthday, she is forced to quit her unseemly habit before the ball. She’s melancholy about the prospect of relinquishing her bubble gum, but she resolves to give it up before the party. On the night of the ball, everything seems poised for a perfect royal evening, but when a forbidden bubble materializes just as Katy is curtsying to the queen, no one will believe that she wasn’t the culprit. Displeased by this breach in decorum, the queen is ready to banish Katy from the kingdom, until a surprising new friend appears, and Katy remains stubbornly devoted to her bubble gum. This tongue-in-cheek, quirky picture book seems to revel in its elevated vocabulary and punchy, unpatterned rhyme, although the use of wordplay and alliteration sometimes sounds forced and excessive. The cartoonish, pastel illustrations are a perfect complement to the text, with bright shades of magenta and endearing animals on nearly every page. References to the royal family occur throughout, from the irreverent illustrations to the playful depiction of the queen’s corgis, though it’s hard to pinpoint the exact meaning of the satire, if there is one. It’s difficult to become fully invested in the decidedly trivial conflict, but the book offers enough fun and modern-day appeal to intrigue young readers anyway. The plot and premise may be bizarre, but the silly, upbeat plot twists make this a delightful book to read aloud to wannabe princesses and royal enthusiasts alike.
A zany, comedic fairy tale with a contemporary twist.Pub Date: July 15, 2013
ISBN: 978-0989091404
Page Count: 32
Publisher: NY Media Works
Review Posted Online: Aug. 1, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An invitation to wonder, imagine and look at everything (humans included) in a new way.
A young boy sees things a little differently than others.
Noah can see patterns in the dust when it sparkles in the sunlight. And if he puts his nose to the ground, he can smell the “green tang of the ants in the grass.” His most favorite thing of all, however, is to read. Noah has endless curiosity about how and why things work. Books open the door to those answers. But there is one question the books do not explain. When the wind comes whistling by, where does it go? Noah decides to find out. In a chase that has a slight element of danger—wind, after all, is unpredictable—Noah runs down streets, across bridges, near a highway, until the wind lifts him off his feet. Cowman’s gusty wisps show each stream of air turning a different jewel tone, swirling all around. The ribbons gently bring Noah home, setting him down under the same thinking tree where he began. Did it really happen? Worthington’s sensitive exploration leaves readers with their own set of questions and perhaps gratitude for all types of perspective. An author’s note mentions children on the autism spectrum but widens to include all who feel a little different.
An invitation to wonder, imagine and look at everything (humans included) in a new way. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 14, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-60554-356-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Redleaf Lane
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2015
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.
A collection of parental wishes for a child.
It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
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