A paean to the realization that while sharing may be caring, it’s also more fun!
Possessiveness goes to some (il)logical extremes in this highly amusing Swedish import.
Sally’s not the kind of kid naturally given to sharing. Put plainly, she’d rather shove everything that she deems hers into her wardrobe before her friend Nico comes over. Initially, it’s just little things. Her squirrel stuffy. A toy train. A picture of puppies. But as she shoves more and more items in, Sally gets ambitious. In goes the bed! Then the bathtub, the refrigerator, and even her own mother! Everything reaches a peak when Nico arrives and Sally, perturbed at the thought of her other friend Eva stopping by to play with him, shoves him in the wardrobe as well! Only when everything’s gone does Sally come to suspect that the objects in her wardrobe may be more fun when they’re on the outside. Persson skillfully eschews didacticism, allowing the story to show rather than tell why Sally’s hoarding inclinations are less than ideal. The formatting of many pages will require readers to rotate the book, lending the read a dynamic energy that pairs well with the text. Kids will find the whole concept a hoot and will come away understanding that greed isn’t actually that good. Sally, her mom, and Eva are light-skinned, while Nico is darker-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A paean to the realization that while sharing may be caring, it’s also more fun! (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2023
ISBN: 9781922610621
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Berbay Publishing
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2023
An instructive tale about big feelings, lightened up by a furious kid’s theatrics.
An angry child attempts to calm down.
A kid with paper-white skin, clad in a blue dress and striped tights, makes an absurd request: “Can we get a pet penguin, name it Marshmallow, and feed it carrots?” Mom, off-stage, says simply, “Not today,” and the tot transforms into a rather odd creature: a spicy nugget! The nugget is imperfectly ovoid in form, with red rosy cheeks, rage-filled dot-eyes, and a spiraling black-hole mouth. The sight gag works beautifully: When one feels truly angry, all poise disappears, leaving only a flailing ball of rage. Our protagonist hurls a teddy bear, unsuccessfully tries out a list of calming methods, and finally retreats to bed, where “I can feel my breathing; I know that I am safe.” The youngster reverts back to human form, and Mom arrives with kind words: “You are not your big feelings. You are not your angry thoughts.” The takeaway is unmistakable, especially at the story’s conclusion: It’s OK to get mad and important to practice coping strategies. The young narrator expresses emotion with fabulous vigor, though the story’s lilting rhyme scheme occasionally distracts from these outbursts with cuteness. Nonetheless, this increasingly enraged nugget-child is irresistible; anyone who’s grappled with overwhelming emotions will relate—in a word, everyone.
An instructive tale about big feelings, lightened up by a furious kid’s theatrics. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2026
ISBN: 9798217042142
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2026
SEEN & HEARD
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
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