A read-aloud filled to the brim with delight and a contagious sense of glee.
A yawn travels ’round the town.
Upon waking up, a brown-skinned child yawns, stretches, and kicks off a circular story that spans the whole city and an entire day. The yawn passes first to Mom and Dad, its force so mighty that they spill their coffee and drip jam off their toast. Then the family cat heads outside, stretches, and passes the yawn along to a dog on a walk with its elderly owner, who opens his mouth so wide, he loses his dentures. The yawn moves farther away from the child’s home into a nearby park where a girl yawns and swallows a fly and a skateboarding kiddo flips into a pond. As the yawn travels, its impact becomes more exaggerated. It forces a magician to reveal a whole flock of birds from a hat, two boxers to miss their punches, and a whole audience to yawn through their standing ovation at a ballet performance. At last, the yawn returns home to the child who originated it, and readers are surprised with another silly sound. Majewski’s painterly illustrations are a riot of bold colors. The design is excellent; vignettes are broken up by white space and full double-page spreads that youngsters will linger over, savoring every small detail. The eye-catching illustrations, paired with the classic circular storytelling style, make this the perfect addition to bedtime rotations. Characters vary in skin tone.
A read-aloud filled to the brim with delight and a contagious sense of glee. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2026
ISBN: 9780063314245
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2026
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together.
A clueless duckling tries to make a new friend.
He is confused by this peculiar-looking duck, who has a long tail, doesn’t waddle and likes to be alone. No matter how explicitly the creature denies he is a duck and announces that he is a cat, the duckling refuses to acknowledge the facts. When this creature expresses complete lack of interest in playing puddle stomp, the little ducking goes off and plays on his own. But the cat is not without remorse for rejecting an offered friendship. Of course it all ends happily, with the two new friends enjoying each other’s company. Bramsen employs brief sentences and the simplest of rhymes to tell this slight tale. The two heroes are meticulously drawn with endearing, expressive faces and body language, and their feathers and fur appear textured and touchable. Even the detailed tree bark and grass seem three-dimensional. There are single- and double-page spreads, panels surrounded by white space and circular and oval frames, all in a variety of eye-pleasing juxtapositions. While the initial appeal is solidly visual, young readers will get the gentle message that friendship is not something to take for granted but is to be embraced with open arms—or paws and webbed feet.
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-375-86990-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 13, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2012
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