An adorable tale featuring an endearing character who learns an important lesson.
When Mr. Bat sets his sights on a fancy hat, he meets his match in one tiny human.
Flying above a crowd, Mr. Bat spots a sea of beautiful hats. When his eyes land on a particularly sparkly baby bonnet, he snags the hat, and the little one begins to bawl. Though the hat is beautiful, Mr. Bat can’t enjoy it knowing he’s upset its original owner. Mr. Bat finds a way to right his wrong and discovers a new footwear obsession in the end. Black’s writing keeps an age-appropriate pace. Mr. Bat’s interactions may be similar to those of readers on the playground or a play date, and he learns a lesson that will be familiar to many little ones: What we want most isn’t always ours for the taking. Mr. Bat is undeniably adorable with his tiny fangs, pink nose, and fashion sense. His face is especially expressive, making him a visually compelling character. The pages are a mix of grid, comiclike layouts and full-page illustrations, which gives the story a sense of momentum and allows the action (Mr. Bat swooping in, for example) to come to life. While the humans except for the baby largely appear in the background or in a crowd, most of the faces are pale, the baby’s included. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
An adorable tale featuring an endearing character who learns an important lesson. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-913639-98-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: New Frontier Publishing
Review Posted Online: April 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
A disappointing follow-up.
Inventor Izzy Gizmo is back in this sequel to her eponymous debut (2017).
While busily inventing one day, Izzy receives an invitation from the Genius Guild to their annual convention. Though Izzy’s “inventions…don’t always work,” Grandpa (apparently her sole caregiver) encourages her to go. The next day they undertake a long journey “over fields, hills, and waves” and “mile after mile” to isolated Technoff Isle. There, Izzy finds she must compete against four other kids to create the most impressive machine. The colorful, detail-rich illustrations chronicle how poor Izzy is thwarted at every turn by Abi von Lavish, a Veruca Salt–esque character who takes all the supplies for herself. But when Abi abandons her project, Izzy salvages the pieces and decides to take Grandpa’s advice to create a machine that “can really be put to good use.” A frustrated Izzy’s impatience with a friend almost foils her chance at the prize, but all’s well that ends well. There’s much to like: Brown-skinned inventor girl Izzy is an appealing character, it’s great to see a nurturing brown-skinned male caregiver, the idea of an “Invention Convention” is fun, and a sustainable-energy invention is laudable. However, these elements don’t make up for rhymes that often feel forced and a lackluster story.
A disappointing follow-up. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-68263-164-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2020
A valuable asset to the library of a child who experiences anxiety and a great book to get children talking about their...
Ruby is an adventurous and happy child until the day she discovers a Worry.
Ruby barely sees the Worry—depicted as a blob of yellow with a frowny unibrow—at first, but as it hovers, the more she notices it and the larger it grows. The longer Ruby is affected by this Worry, the fewer colors appear on the page. Though she tries not to pay attention to the Worry, which no one else can see, ignoring it prevents her from enjoying the things that she once loved. Her constant anxiety about the Worry causes the bright yellow blob to crowd Ruby’s everyday life, which by this point is nearly all washes of gray and white. But at the playground, Ruby sees a boy sitting on a bench with a growing sky-blue Worry of his own. When she invites the boy to talk, his Worry begins to shrink—and when Ruby talks about her own Worry, it also grows smaller. By the book’s conclusion, Ruby learns to control her Worry by talking about what worries her, a priceless lesson for any child—or adult—conveyed in a beautifully child-friendly manner. Ruby presents black, with hair in cornrows and two big afro-puff pigtails, while the boy has pale skin and spiky black hair.
A valuable asset to the library of a child who experiences anxiety and a great book to get children talking about their feelings (. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0237-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: May 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019
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