An atmospheric read, if somewhat puzzling, and for a particular audience.
A dark and wordless nighttime venture leaves much to interpretation.
On a stormy evening, a bundled-up adult leaves two children home with an older caregiver, one of the kids clutching a copy of Hansel and Gretel. The children, brown-haired and rosy-cheeked, look fairly miserable as the elder feeds them and shoos them to bed, the fairy tale clearly front of mind for both youngsters. Sneaking from the house, the kids hide in a bear’s den before a lovely, long-haired stranger with cloven hooves and headlight-beam eyes leads them through forest, field, and stream to stargaze before returning them home. Sounds strange? It is. Rendered in midnight blues, deep violets, and bruised greens, this dark and eerie tale embraces its Grimm reference, blending fantastical elements with natural realism. In striking contrast to the exquisitely precise wordless nighttime scenes Di Giorgio made for The Midnight Fair (2021), written by Gideon Sterer, these textured illustrations are vague. The appearance and disappearance of characters feels abrupt, and in the absence of narration, a bit more clarity in both artistic detail and story arc would be helpful. Given both the book’s visually unsettling nature and its storyline ambiguities, this haunting pick is best suited for older readers drawn to darker fairy tales or horror stories. Characters are light-skinned.
An atmospheric read, if somewhat puzzling, and for a particular audience. (Picture book. 6-9)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2026
ISBN: 9780735846289
Page Count: 48
Publisher: NorthSouth
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2026
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for...
A gentle voice and familiar pitfalls characterize this tale of a boy navigating the risky road to responsibility.
Gavin is new to his neighborhood and Carver Elementary. He likes his new friend, Richard, and has a typically contentious relationship with his older sister, Danielle. When Gavin’s desire to impress Richard sets off a disastrous chain of events, the boy struggles to evade responsibility for his actions. “After all, it isn’t his fault that Danielle’s snow globe got broken. Sure, he shouldn’t have been in her room—but then, she shouldn’t be keeping candy in her room to tempt him. Anybody would be tempted. Anybody!” opines Gavin once he learns the punishment for his crime. While Gavin has a charming Everyboy quality, and his aversion to Aunt Myrtle’s yapping little dog rings true, little about Gavin distinguishes him from other trouble-prone protagonists. He is, regrettably, forgettable. Coretta Scott King Honor winner English (Francie, 1999) is a teacher whose storytelling usually benefits from her day job. Unfortunately, the pizzazz of classroom chaos is largely absent from this series opener.
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for subsequent volumes. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Dec. 17, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-547-97044-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
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