by Michael G. Lewis ; illustrated by Stan Jaskiel ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2016
Alas and alack—no buried treasure here.
The kidnapping of one of Santa’s elves results in mutiny by the pirate crew of a ship called the Knotty List.
After a wild battle, the tiny kidnapped elf and the pirate crew seize the ship and send Cap’n McNasty off on a skiff with only one oar. He finds his way to a new life on an island where he meets a wild-haired woman with “whiskers on her chin” as well as her own eye patch and peg leg. The elf leads the pirate crew to the North Pole, where they join Santa’s workforce, helping to turn out a line of teddy bears with eye patches and hooks on one paw. The pirate captain might be a cousin of Capt. Hook, complete with eye patch, peg leg, and a sharp, hook-shaped prosthesis replacing a missing hand. Though these are standard pirate tropes, their use is problematic in an era of disability awareness. Cap’n McNasty narrates the rhyming story in an exuberant piratical tone with a surfeit of exclamation marks. Broadly humorous cartoon illustrations use a dark, subdued palette with amusing details tucked into the scenes, but the overall effect is garish and crowded. Cap’n McNasty and some of the pirates have tan skin, while all the elves appear to be white. Several of the elves and redheaded pirate Poutin’ Pam are females.
Alas and alack—no buried treasure here. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4556-2133-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Pelican
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2016
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More by Michael G. Lewis
BOOK REVIEW
by Michael G. Lewis ; illustrated by Stan Jaskiel
by Adam Wallace ; illustrated by Andy Elkerton ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 2017
This bunny escapes all the traps but fails to find a logical plot or an emotional connection with readers.
The bestselling series (How to Catch an Elf, 2016, etc.) about capturing mythical creatures continues with a story about various ways to catch the Easter Bunny as it makes its annual deliveries.
The bunny narrates its own story in rhyming text, beginning with an introduction at its office in a manufacturing facility that creates Easter eggs and candy. The rabbit then abruptly takes off on its delivery route with a tiny basket of eggs strapped to its back, immediately encountering a trap with carrots and a box propped up with a stick. The narrative focuses on how the Easter Bunny avoids increasingly complex traps set up to catch him with no explanation as to who has set the traps or why. These traps include an underground tunnel, a fluorescent dance floor with a hidden pit of carrots, a robot bunny, pirates on an island, and a cannon that shoots candy fish, as well as some sort of locked, hazardous site with radiation danger. Readers of previous books in the series will understand the premise, but others will be confused by the rabbit’s frenetic escapades. Cartoon-style illustrations have a 1960s vibe, with a slightly scary, bow-tied bunny with chartreuse eyes and a glowing palette of neon shades that shout for attention.
This bunny escapes all the traps but fails to find a logical plot or an emotional connection with readers. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-3817-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Jan. 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2017
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More In The Series
by Alice Walstead ; illustrated by Andy Elkerton
by Alice Walstead ; illustrated by Andy Elkerton
by Alice Walstead ; illustrated by Andy Elkerton
More by Adam Wallace
BOOK REVIEW
by Adam Wallace ; illustrated by Christopher Nielsen
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by Adam Wallace ; illustrated by Andy Elkerton
BOOK REVIEW
by Adam Wallace ; illustrated by Andy Elkerton
by Todd Tarpley ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 14, 2023
Slapstick fun for any season.
Sometimes the holidays get messy.
When a light-skinned leprechaun—complete with red beard and clover-adorned hat—appears at the end of a rainbow on a hill dotted with tulips, he’s all set to bury his gold…until the Easter Bunny hops over in a huff. The leprechaun is digging up all the tulips where the bunny was planning to hide his eggs. Their argument escalates, and readers will be reminded of Looney Tunes battles between Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck as each employs more and more outrageous traps and tricks to humiliate the other. The duo keep the fight up until a new visitor arrives; although St. Valentine’s Day has passed, a plump, light-skinned Cupid is ready to start planning for next year—allowing the two to join forces against a common enemy. The text is told in rhyming stanzas: “ ‘Gold!’ cried the bunny, / but when he bent over, / the leprechaun pushed him / facedown in the clover!” It’s not Shakespeare, but it moves the plot along. The digital illustrations are riotously funny, and the final image of the three spring holiday mascots scowling at one another, having reached an uneasy friendship, will have readers giggling all year long. Skilled storytellers will enjoy hamming up the action as the characters attempt to assert their dominance over their hillside home. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Slapstick fun for any season. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 14, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-316-37426-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Nov. 28, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2022
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More by Todd Tarpley
BOOK REVIEW
by Todd Tarpley ; illustrated by Sophie Leu
BOOK REVIEW
by Todd Tarpley ; illustrated by Jared Chapman
BOOK REVIEW
by Todd Tarpley ; illustrated by Vin Vogel
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