A heavy-handed, already-dated attempt to explain a well-documented experience
If you didn’t know by now that boys sometimes wear skirts, this picture book will explain that again.
Felix likes wearing skirts. After all, “I can run faster and climb more easily.” But not everyone is comfortable with his choice. The plot is so well-worn that it hardly warrants description: First he wants to wear skirts, then people are mean to him. The plodding, artless text follows Felix as he goes from victimization to grudging acceptance. “Real boys don’t wear dresses. Why don’t you go play with someone else…,” say his classmates. And “ ‘That’s inappropriate,’ the other parents whispered to each other. ‘What kind of parent allows his child to do something like that?’ ” Then his dad decides to wear a skirt, too, and Felix feels better about going back to school. The story concludes with “From that day on no one asked if he was a boy or a girl. They simply called him Felix,” an apparent (and misguided) attempt at supporting a boy who seems clear enough about his gender identity. The art is strangely retro, depicting very little outside of characters’ expressions of joy, sadness, or discomfort, and the text doesn’t utilize structure or pacing to lend interest or artistry to the story. Felix is a white boy, as are most of the other people depicted, though one classmate wears hijab.
A heavy-handed, already-dated attempt to explain a well-documented experience . (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-988-8341-58-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: minedition
Review Posted Online: May 27, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2018
Sure to have little ones giggling.
Jacques is a hedgehog with a big secret: “I wear real, bona fide underwear.”
Our narrator received a mysterious package one day; an illustration shows a pair of underwear tied to a balloon with a note “from the Universe” floating down into Jacques’ burrow. Hedgehogs don’t wear underwear, however. Will Jacques be shunned? Jacques worries but comes to a decision: “I have to wear them. When I do I feel special.” Determined, Jacques, who’s been invited to a party, makes a dramatic entrance, with undies in hand. Jacques’ declaration (“I WEAR UNDERWEAR”) is met with remarks of dismay, before another hedgehog opens up about similar fears and shows off a pair of cowboy boots. More hedgehogs introduce themselves with their own confessions. The story ends with Jacques unveiling a painting of the underwear in a gallery filled with hedgehogs wearing all sorts of attire. Though the book is simple in plot, characters, and setting, it wins in its balance of bathroom humor, dramatic storytelling, and celebrations of individual expression. French words are peppered throughout, adding to the fun without detracting from the story for those unfamiliar with the language. The cartoonish illustrations brim with fun; Valdez relies heavily on geometric shapes (triangle noses for the hedgehogs; huge circles for their eyes). Details such as speech bubbles and recurring turtle and snake characters contribute to the outlandish humor.
Sure to have little ones giggling. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: April 1, 2025
ISBN: 9781250814388
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025
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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