A whimsical story that challenges readers to dream, create, and share their fun with everyone. (Picture book. 3-6)
Blast off! Fun has no limits when you have a jetpack. There’s turbo tag at recess, flying to Nana’s, and even exploring the galaxy.
The adventure begins with an idea: “If you found yourself bored, with nothing to do, you could build your own jetpack.” Although the project might be challenging, cleverness and persistence fuel your journey to the stars. Narrated in second person, the text encourages readers to imagine themselves into the story. A blue bunny with red glasses stands in for the “you” described in the text. As the story progresses, each new adventure becomes increasingly fantastic, from showing off at school and zipping to the front of the lunch line to exploring outer space and earning a medal from the president (a pink-pantsuit–wearing bear). Detlefsen (Time for Cranberries, 2015) and debut picture-book illustrator Hunter develop a rhythm throughout the story by punctuating each scenario with an adverb that receives extra emphasis on the page through colorful, bold display type and other typographical emphasis. The text mingles with the digitally rendered illustrations, curving and zigzagging across the pages. Brightly colored animal characters and pages full of movement fit the playful tone and the theme of imagination.
A whimsical story that challenges readers to dream, create, and share their fun with everyone. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 24, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-399-55329-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Jan. 21, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance.
A boy with wings learns to be himself and inspires others like him to soar, too.
Norman, a “perfectly normal” boy, never dreamed he might grow wings. Afraid of what his parents might say, he hides his new wings under a big, stuffy coat. Although the coat hides his wings from the world, Norman no longer finds joy in bathtime, playing at the park, swimming, or birthday parties. With the gentle encouragement of his parents, who see his sadness, Norman finds the courage to come out of hiding and soar. Percival (The Magic Looking Glass, 2017, etc.) depicts Norman with light skin and dark hair. Black-and-white illustrations show his father with dark skin and hair and his mother as white. The contrast of black-and-white illustrations with splashes of bright color complements the story’s theme. While Norman tries to be “normal,” the world and people around him look black and gray, but his coat stands out in yellow. Birds pop from the page in pink, green, and blue, emphasizing the joy and beauty of flying free. The final spread, full of bright color and multiracial children in flight, sets the mood for Norman’s realization on the last page that there is “no such thing as perfectly normal,” but he can be “perfectly Norman.”
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: May 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68119-785-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
Readers will delight in discovering the joyous time pumpkins have when it’s Halloween.
Magical moonbeams awaken a pumpkin patch to raucous Halloween-season revelry.
A moonbeam illuminates and energizes a smiley-faced pumpkin sitting alone on a stair; it promptly takes off to find a friend with whom to have a good time. An entire pumpkin patch, also sparked by the magical moon, instantly comes alive. And what merriment all the grinning gourds get up to! Their playful shenanigans include piling high on top of one another, bouncing on a trampoline, dancing, marching, and drumming, wearing costumes, and competing in games. They even engage in activities usually reserved for other holiday-themed icons—flying on brooms and making magic, for instance. As dawn approaches, the pumpkin leader escorts the cavalcade back home. At sunrise, each one takes up residence on a different house’s front porch and awaits that evening’s moonbeams to work their magic again. Liveliness and good cheer abound in this frisky rhyming tale in which the perennial holiday symbols naturally take center stage. Perky couplets that read and scan very well appear on most pages and are accompanied by energetic, expressive illustrations that highlight vivid oranges, yellows, blues, purples, and greens with touches of other bright shades.
Readers will delight in discovering the joyous time pumpkins have when it’s Halloween. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-338-56332-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2020
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