A didactic lesson couched in humor and fantasy, it will delight young children, but it’s anyone’s guess they’ll learn the...
“I want….I want…!” Caregivers who find these words all too familiar may find this etiquette book useful.
There are two main characters—a pigtailed little girl and a prim, mustachioed gentleman in an orange tuxedo (is he her father, a genie, or a random gentleman on the street, readers may wonder); both are depicted with paper-white skin. In every scene, the girl is corrected when she yells, “I want….I want…!” She learns that if she asks nicely and says “please,” she’ll get what she wants—and more! “Please say ‘please.’ and you’ll brighten my day. / But if you say, ‘I WANT,’ I’ll just walk away,” the gentleman says. When the girl’s politely worded request for a giant is rewarded, the tables are turned. “I want to PLAY!” screams the giant. “WAIT! Please say ‘please,’ and you might get your way,” she replies as his foot hovers over her head. Speech bubbles and bold, bright brush strokes evoke the comic strips of yesteryear, while the dialogue-only rhyming text sets a brisk pace. Overall, the story has admirable objectives, but it could mislead. “Please say ‘please’ and I’ll grant any wish,” may give kids the impression that just as long as they say “please,” they’ll get anything and everything they want, a misconception bound to lead to disappointment.
A didactic lesson couched in humor and fantasy, it will delight young children, but it’s anyone’s guess they’ll learn the lesson intended . (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 26, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-545-84485-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2016
Still, preschoolers will likely savor this mouthwatering treatment of a subject that looms large in many early school...
The familiar theme of the challenges facing a new kid in town is given an original treatment by photographer Border in this book of photos of three-dimensional objects in a simple modeled landscape.
Peanut Butter is represented by a slice of white bread spread with the popular condiment. The other characters in the story—a hamburger with a pair of hot dogs in tow, a bowl of alphabet soup, a meatball jumping a rope of spaghetti, a carton of French fries and a pink cupcake—are represented by skillfully crafted models of these foods, anthropomorphized using simple wire construction. Rejected by each character in turn in his search for playmates, Peanut Butter discovers in the end that Jelly is his true match (not Cupcake, as the title suggests), perhaps because she is the only one who looks like him, being a slice of white bread spread with jelly. The friendly foods end up happily playing soccer together. Some parents may have trouble with the unabashedly happy depiction of carbs and American junk food (no carrots or celery sticks in this landscape), and others may find themselves troubled by the implication that friendship across difference is impossible.
Still, preschoolers will likely savor this mouthwatering treatment of a subject that looms large in many early school experiences. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 29, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-399-16773-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2014
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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