Lovers of all things repellent can consider this a sparkly, smelly present.
It’s hard to ignore bodily functions when they come with magical properties.
Ever wondered what unicorn poop is really like? No? For readers who have, a wide array of tears, snot, vomit, and other sundry yet sparkly effluents are stuffed into a single solitary tome. Following a predictable gross-then-adorable pattern, the text treats readers to answers to questions they probably never imagined asking: about what happens when a unicorn happens to sneeze (sparkly glitter falls from the sky), spit (chocolate syrup is sprayed on sundaes), fart (bubbles!), etc. The author, who self-identifies as a “recreational cryptozoologist,” does at least hold back on speculating on unicorn blood, urine, and pus, but this is small comfort when faced with the image of children of different skin tones frolicking in unicorn vomit (ribbons). Brightly colored, festive art does much to mitigate some of the book’s more stomach-turning implications, but when it comes to rainbow-colored poop, there’s only so much that one can do. Readers in the thrall of the disgusting will be rapt as they consider the implications of each new revelation. Readers looking for another cute unicorn book are probably best advised to avoid this one, though the mere presence of the sparkly beast may overcome all.
Lovers of all things repellent can consider this a sparkly, smelly present. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-7624-6712-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Running Press
Review Posted Online: July 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
PERSPECTIVES
Fairy fodder, nothing more.
A brand-new fairy godmother tests her skills on a group of children determined to catch her.
The latest installment in the popular How To Catch series follows the protagonist as she leaves Fairy Godmother Land as a recent grad who’s nervous about her first job (“I should know how to do this, / but all I feel is stress. / Chosen for these children, / I don’t want to be a hot mess”). As she observes the children she’s been tasked with helping, they spot her and decide to catch her for show and tell. Though they set several traps, including a “selfie with a unicorn” station, she evades capture, leaving behind a snapshot as a gift. Readers never see the fairy godmother’s face until the final page reveals her photo—an effective way to keep kids wondering. While the moral of the story—trying new things is scary but worth it—is an important one, the plot is a bit thin. Sure, the fairy godmother “helps” the children by leaving them with a photo of her, but that feels almost like a happy accident; readers never find out why she was “chosen” for these children. Fans of the series who adore all things magical will enjoy this title, but those seeking an engaging tale should look elsewhere. The fairy godmother presents Black, while the children are racially diverse.
Fairy fodder, nothing more. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: July 9, 2024
ISBN: 9781728293004
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The premise is worn gossamer thin, and the joke stopped being funny, if it ever was, long ago.
A fairy tending their garden manages to survive a gaggle of young intruders.
In halting cadences typical of the long-running—and increasingly less amusing—How To Catch… series, the startled mite—never seen face-on in Elkerton’s candy-colored pictures and indeterminate of gender—wonders about the racially diverse interlopers: “Do they know that I can grant wishes? / Or that a new fairy is born when they giggle?” The visual action rather belies the sweetness of the verses, the palette, the bright flowers, and the multicolored resident zebras and unicorns, as after repeated, elaborately designed efforts to trap or even shoot (with a peashooter) the fairy come to naught, the laughing children are escorted out of the garden beneath a rising moon. The encounter ends on a (perhaps unconsciously) ominous note. “Hope they find their way back sometime,” the butterfly-winged narrator concludes. “And just maybe next time they’ll stay!” (This book was reviewed digitally.)
The premise is worn gossamer thin, and the joke stopped being funny, if it ever was, long ago. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: March 28, 2023
ISBN: 9781728263205
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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