An effervescent, adorable series opener.
Rory’s attempts at spellcasting often go awry, but a new school and new friends help her see that there is more to being a great fairy godmother than what she can do with her wand.
Though Rory can spell different words, casting magical spells is a different story: “What she wanted to spell with her wand and what came out of her wand never matched.” When she tries to conjure up socks, she ends up with rocks. When she wants new, she gets blue. The other students at Bibbidi Bobbidi Academy for godmothers- and godfathers-in-training don’t seem to have any of the same problems, and Rory’s spelling only gets a little better with practice. But when Rory and two classmates must help a lonely boy as their first magical assignment, Rory realizes that her spelling troubles won’t necessarily keep her from being good at granting wishes. The author’s play on the idea of spelling will be amusing to readers who are still learning to spell with letters rather than a wand, and Rory’s excitement and nervousness will resonate with many children. Energetic illustrations, often incorporating images from nature, feature cheerful, vivid colors and delicately drawn scenes. Rory has brown skin and dark hair; her school is diverse.
An effervescent, adorable series opener. (Fantasy. 5-8)Pub Date: Oct. 11, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-368-05739-4
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2022
Waiting for Godot imagined for the playground population’s sensibilities.
If Samuel Beckett had written an early reader, it might look something like this one.
In the first of five chapters, Klassen places his now-familiar turtle and armadillo (wearing bowler hats) on a minimalist gray/green landscape with one flower and—on the facing page—one plant. Personalities are revealed through occasional, slow movement across the gutter together with color-coded dialogue that feels as if it is being invented in the moment, sans script. Turtle is inflexible, not wanting to relocate, even when Armadillo moves farther away after a bad feeling about the space. It is only when Snake (sporting a beret) appears near the mammal that Turtle joins them—just in time: A huge asteroid falls on the vacated spot. Readers have watched it coming, suspense effectively building as they turn the pages. In subsequent episodes, Armadillo attempts to be helpful; miscommunication abounds; and Turtle is stubborn, proud, and jealous of the unspeaking snake, now near the rock: “I see how it is. Just enough room for two.” Turtle playing the martyr: “Maybe I will never come back.” As daylight turns into a striking, rose-tinged sunset and then a starlit evening, a life-zapping extraterrestrial (created previously in Armadillo’s futuristic forest fantasy) stalks Turtle. At the last minute, a second asteroid annihilates the creature. Klassen’s animals react to their seemingly absurd—but never tragic—universe with characteristically subtle, humorous postures and eye maneuvers. The weirdness of it all exerts its own attractive force, drawing readers back to it to wonder and ponder.
Waiting for Godot imagined for the playground population’s sensibilities. (Early reader. 5-8)Pub Date: April 13, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5362-1562-5
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
PERSPECTIVES
When Fred leaves his parents for the first time, his plans to be a ferocious dragon hit a snag. First Mrs. Green, the frog,...
Fred learns how to be true to himself and still be a dragon.
When Fred leaves his parents for the first time, his plans to be a ferocious dragon hit a snag. First Mrs. Green, the frog, mocks his roar as being like a meow, so, though Fred is supposed to eat humans, he gobbles her in one gulp. The princess thinks Fred’s fire looks like a candle, and a tiny bird is not afraid of him. They too meet in Fred’s tummy. Turns out, three’s a crowd for Fred’s stomach, and his intestinal pain leads him a solution that works for him and his crowd of helpers and new friends. Designed to encourage confident reading, the story alternates between long pages of text and highly illustrated pages with few words. Cartoon illustrations, especially details like the dragon’s red eyes and the giant’s warts and earring, help the newly independent reader follow the story, providing lots of visual cues which add the humor. When human John Little voluntarily walks into Fred’s open mouth and extricates his complaining contents, the illustrations turn energetic, with flying critters filling the air. New readers will love the humorous pictures and stay for the engaging tale.Pub Date: Aug. 23, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-375-87180-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: July 5, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2011
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