Other birthday-themed books present more realistic versions of these annual celebrations, acknowledging that most parties...
Percy Isaac Gifford shares his rules for maximizing birthday fun.
In a stuttering rhythm, Friedman’s rhyming verses describe how Percy goes about preparing for and then enjoying his birthday. “The first thing you should know: / This day comes just once a year. / So enjoy every moment! It’s filled with birthday cheer.” Most parents will be chagrined to notice that Percy’s initials dance uncomfortably close to his actions: “This rule is my mantra: / Today is all about you!”; “There’s no time like the present for a present”; “Anything is good that comes wrapped in a bow!” Happily, he does note that kids should say thank you to each gift-giver and help clean up after the festivities. Otherwise, though, his rules are nothing earth-shattering or surprising, and at best, they can be considered slightly strange—look your best, eat every bite of cake, it’s not a party until the birthday song’s been sung. Ultimately readers will be left feeling slightly cheated, as there’s nothing here they couldn’t figure out for themselves. Patterned-paper backgrounds and found objects collaged in to the illustrations add textural interest to Murfin’s artwork, which is filled with rosy-cheeked characters with oddly placed (and shaped) noses.
Other birthday-themed books present more realistic versions of these annual celebrations, acknowledging that most parties are not all fun and games and that a little rain falls on every parade. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7613-6071-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Carolrhoda
Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2014
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This bunny escapes all the traps but fails to find a logical plot or an emotional connection with readers.
The bestselling series (How to Catch an Elf, 2016, etc.) about capturing mythical creatures continues with a story about various ways to catch the Easter Bunny as it makes its annual deliveries.
The bunny narrates its own story in rhyming text, beginning with an introduction at its office in a manufacturing facility that creates Easter eggs and candy. The rabbit then abruptly takes off on its delivery route with a tiny basket of eggs strapped to its back, immediately encountering a trap with carrots and a box propped up with a stick. The narrative focuses on how the Easter Bunny avoids increasingly complex traps set up to catch him with no explanation as to who has set the traps or why. These traps include an underground tunnel, a fluorescent dance floor with a hidden pit of carrots, a robot bunny, pirates on an island, and a cannon that shoots candy fish, as well as some sort of locked, hazardous site with radiation danger. Readers of previous books in the series will understand the premise, but others will be confused by the rabbit’s frenetic escapades. Cartoon-style illustrations have a 1960s vibe, with a slightly scary, bow-tied bunny with chartreuse eyes and a glowing palette of neon shades that shout for attention.
This bunny escapes all the traps but fails to find a logical plot or an emotional connection with readers. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-3817-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Jan. 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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