This is a solid choice for sensitive readers, since it provides an alternate, if somewhat sweet story, where ghosts are...
Ever wanted a ghost? Answer in the affirmative, and this fictional handbook should offer all the expert advice needed to make sure “your ghost will haunt you forever.”
The opening page warns: “A ghost is a big responsibility. Are you sure you want a ghost friend of your very own? If not, CLOSE THIS BOOK NOW.” For those brave, committed few, the page turn reveals a wash of white issuing forth from a child’s book to create a friendly, smiling ghost. The text continues to read like a combination sales pitch and owner’s manual. Ghosts are better than a pet or a brother or sister. Ghosts are afraid of parents, the dark and other ghosts. Ghosts never get dirty, so do not try to wash them. As the instructions continue, Buscema’s brightly hued, retro-style illustrations inject lighthearted humor, portraying a diverse cast of kids dedicated to providing the best care to their new specters. Who knew that when a person shivers and it is not cold, it means they have bumped into a ghost?
This is a solid choice for sensitive readers, since it provides an alternate, if somewhat sweet story, where ghosts are anything but scary. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Aug. 7, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4231-1949-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: July 17, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
Pure fun; readers and preschoolers will applaud both the silliness and practicalities presented.
Animal friends on the farm are ready to enjoy the pleasures of each new season—but Cow displays confusion over what is expected.
In a double-page spread before the title page, an excited Rooster crows, “SPRING IS ALMOST HERE!” Spring is announced immediately after the title page, and readers see Duck watering her newly emerged sprouts, Sheep flying a kite, and Goat enjoying the spring showers. Cow, however, appears dressed in mittens, a heavy scarf, and hat. “Oh Cow. Not now,” says Rooster. Summer arrives, and with it swimming, beach play, and ice cream cones, but Cow is ready with a sled, snow boots, and heavy sweater. And again Rooster tells her, “Oh Cow. Not now.” Amusing illustrations in bold colors reflect each season’s attributes while the succinct and simple rhyming text details the animals’ activities. The fall scenario shows orange and brown leaves falling with Horse raking, Chick munching on an apple, and Sheep carving a pumpkin: “Horse is ready. / Builds a pile. / Chick is ready. / Snacks awhile. // Sheep is ready. / Adds a smile.” But a parka-clad Cow is set on skiing. Rooster: “Oh, Cow. Just…wow.” When, in winter, Cow shows up in a bathing suit and flippers, her exasperated friends finally tell her, “We need to talk.” Readers might wonder whether Cow is just innocently clueless or expressing her individualism. Kids will nevertheless be eager to repeat the refrain, the predictable structure of the page turns and pacing expertly cuing them. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 61.9% of actual size.)
Pure fun; readers and preschoolers will applaud both the silliness and practicalities presented. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 6, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-4197-4629-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Abrams Appleseed
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2021
A sweet and subtle book on sharing.
Rudy’s pink sweater is missing. Readers are invited to follow him as he searches for the sweater.
Rudy is a blue creature with a piggy snout, bunny ears, a thin, tufted tail, and a distraught look on his face. His beloved pink sweater is gone. “It was a bit too small and showed his belly button. But it was his favorite.” Where could it be? In a search that doubles as a countdown from 10 to one, Rudy makes his way through the different rooms of the house—top to bottom, inside and outside. As readers open the wardrobe door, “TEN tumbling cats” provide the first hint as to the sweater’s whereabouts. Following the pink yarn that runs across the pages, readers encounter some surprising creatures in each location—including a crocodile sitting in an outhouse busily knitting—as well as flaps to open and die cuts to peek through. Just as he’s about to give up hope—someone must’ve taken it, but “who would love wearing it as much as he did?”—the answer is revealed: “Trudy! His number ONE sister. The sweater fit her perfectly.” And, as is the nature of stories with a happy ending, Rudy gets a new sweater that fits him, from the knitting crocodile, of course. Plot, interactivity, vocabulary, and counting all contribute in making this an engaging book for the upper edge of the board-book range.
A sweet and subtle book on sharing. (Board book. 3-5)Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4197-3679-7
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Abrams Appleseed
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
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