Goofy and good-hearted, a simple tale playfully told.
A pun-slinging creepy-crawly reflects after making a misstep.
Wiggler, a wormlike character with a curious superfluity of limbs, wobbles through the world telling jokes to all and sundry—possumish librarian Peter, an anthropomorphic lemon lounging in the park, a tiny red-and-black robot named Roro tinkering in the Junk and Stuff workshop. When Wiggler’s joking distracts Roro, the robot is accidentally electrified and lashes out at Wiggler. Worried that Roro didn’t think the joke was funny, Wiggler retreats to a nearby bench to puzzle out what went wrong. Thought bubbles above Wiggler’s head visually revisit the action as our protagonist reexamines the experience for clues to Roro’s anger. Realizing that Roro was upset at being distracted, Wiggler returns to the shop, in a moment of seriousness, to make amends. Roro graciously accepts the apology and lightens the mood with a few jokes. Vandorn clearly but never heavy-handedly communicates themes of making mistakes and repairing relationships, in large part due to the inviting contours of Wiggler’s world—a brightly colored little town buzzing with a whimsical cast of imaginary creatures. Snappy, accessible dialogue will further encourage hesitant readers to have a bit of fun while taking in the story, maybe even coming away with a few jokes of their own to tell.
Goofy and good-hearted, a simple tale playfully told. (Graphic fiction. 4-8)Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2026
ISBN: 9780823459827
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: today
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
Fast and furious action guaranteed to keep new readers laughing and turning pages.
Never underestimate the chaotic fun that magic and an angry bouncing ball can create.
When Frog goes to the library, he borrows a book on magic. He then heads to a nearby park to read up on the skills necessary to becoming “a great magician.” Suddenly, a deflated yellow ball lands with a “Thud!” at his feet. Although he flexes his new magician muscles, Frog’s spells fall as flat as the ball. But when Frog shouts “Phooey!” and kicks the ball away, it inflates to become a big, angry ball. The ball begins to chase Frog, so he seeks shelter in the library—and Frog and ball turn the library’s usual calm into chaos. The cartoon chase crescendos. The ball bounces into the middle of a game of chess, interrupts a puppet show, and crashes into walls and bookcases. Staying just one bounce ahead, Frog runs, hides, grabs a ride on a book cart, and scatters books and papers as he slides across the library furniture before an alligator patron catches the ball and kicks it out the library door. But that’s not the end of the ball….Caple’s tidy panels and pastel-hued cartoons make a surprisingly effective setting for the slapstick, which should have young readers giggling. Simple sentences—often just subject and verb—with lots of repetition propel the action. Frog’s nonsense-word spells (“Poof Wiffle, Bop Bip!”) are both funny and excellent practice in phonetics. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Fast and furious action guaranteed to keep new readers laughing and turning pages. (Graphic early reader. 5-7)Pub Date: Aug. 10, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-8234-4341-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
A visual and emotional symphony.
A tiger, with some unusual help, fights off a nightmare.
Tiger’s parents don’t quite believe that the reason she carries extra curry or tacos from the supper table to her bedroom is because she has a monster under her bed, but it’s true. Monster was supposed to scare her long ago, but instead they play together nightly. Then, while Tiger sleeps, Monster scares away Tiger’s horned, multieyed, centipedelike nightmares—until a nightmare with a long-jawed white skull and a changeable, smoky body arrives. It conquers Monster and reaches Tiger. From now on, Tiger and Monster must work together. The plans they implement are brilliant and brave, and their hard-won victory (it takes a few tries) couldn’t be more triumphant, relieving, or empowering. Compositions range from full-bleed spreads to pages holding multiple sequential panels. Using watercolors and pencils, Tetri creates one color-world of inky blues (Monster; nighttime) and another of oranges and yellows (Tiger; daytime). The meanings of each color-world hold nuance and complexity: The nightmares are of the blue world, but so are coziness and small, dear Monster; Tiger’s victory explodes with warm colors like dawn, but she could only achieve it at night. Rich details enhance the setting inconspicuously: Tiger’s parents, also tigers, run a repair shop for flying cars; one parent is Dad while the other is of undesignated gender.
A visual and emotional symphony. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Nov. 6, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-62672-535-5
Page Count: 64
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: Sept. 1, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2018
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