Sweet, with a few gaps.
Princess Arabella is back with her royal friends to create giant cakes for her grandmother’s birthday in this Belgian import.
Princess Arabella, a dark-skinned child with multipuff pigtails, enjoys her birthday party so much that even before its conclusion she wishes to have yet another one. When her father shows her a calendar explaining that she’ll have to wait until next year for her upcoming birthday party, Princess Arabella remembers that her grandmother’s birthday is only a couple of days away. Princess Arabella’s friends—Princess Ling (who’s Asian, possibly Chinese), Princess Sophie (who is white), and Prince Mimoun (who is implied Muslim)—each decide to bake the “biggest,” “yummiest” cake ever in the whole wide world. Each royal buddy makes a fabulous series of cakes that, when put together, create a colorful pastry extravaganza. But as Grandma samples the multihued dessert, the revelers can’t seem to find Arabella. Out jumps Princess Arabella from her cake for a big happy-birthday surprise for her grandmother. The illustrations are buoyant with color, interweaving the personalities and implied cultures of the children. Freeman misses a couple of opportunities by not using the different cakes to introduce varying desserts throughout the world and by not naming the specific cultures and ethnicities of the different royal children in a way that is both celebratory and informative.
Sweet, with a few gaps. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Oct. 24, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-911115-66-3
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Cassava Republic Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2018
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Not enough tricks to make this a treat.
Another holiday title (How To Catch the Easter Bunny by Adam Wallace, illustrated by Elkerton, 2017) sticks to the popular series’ formula.
Rhyming four-line verses describe seven intrepid trick-or-treaters’ efforts to capture the witch haunting their Halloween. Rhyming roadblocks with toolbox is an acceptable stretch, but too often too many words or syllables in the lines throw off the cadence. Children familiar with earlier titles will recognize the traps set by the costume-clad kids—a pulley and box snare, a “Tunnel of Tricks.” Eventually they accept her invitation to “floss, bump, and boogie,” concluding “the dance party had hit the finale at last, / each dancing monster started to cheer! / There’s no doubt about it, we have to admit: / This witch threw the party of the year!” The kids are diverse, and their costumes are fanciful rather than scary—a unicorn, a dragon, a scarecrow, a red-haired child in a lab coat and bow tie, a wizard, and two space creatures. The monsters, goblins, ghosts, and jack-o'-lanterns, backgrounded by a turquoise and purple night sky, are sufficiently eerie. Still, there isn’t enough originality here to entice any but the most ardent fans of Halloween or the series. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Not enough tricks to make this a treat. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-72821-035-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: May 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
These reindeer games are a bit tired but, given the series’ popularity, should have a large, ready-made audience.
The How to Catch A… crew try for Comet.
Having already failed to nab a Halloween witch, the Easter Bunny, a turkey, a leprechaun, the Tooth Fairy, and over a dozen other iconic trophies in previous episodes of this bestselling series, one would think the racially diverse gaggle of children in Elkerton’s moonlit, wintry scenes would be flagging…but no, here they lay out snares ranging from a loop of garland to an igloo baited with reindeer moss to an enticing candy cane maze, all in hopes of snagging one of Santa’s reindeer while he’s busy delivering presents. Infused with pop culture–based Christmas cheer (“Now I’ve already seen the shelf with the elf”), Comet prances past the traps until it’s time to gather up the kids, most of whom look terrified, for a group snapshot with the other reindeer and then climb back into harness: “This was a great stop but a few million to go / Christmas Eve must continue with style!” Though festive, the verse feels trite and unlikely to entice youngsters. A sprinkling of “True Facts About Reindeer” (“They live in the tundra, where they have friends like the arctic bunny”) wrap up this celebration of the predatory spirit. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
These reindeer games are a bit tired but, given the series’ popularity, should have a large, ready-made audience. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2022
ISBN: 9781728276137
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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