Dishes up a delicious duo, with a theme of reconciliation as the secret sauce.
School lunch turns fraught when feuding foods fight.
In this relentlessly puntastic outing, a rare kitchen disaster turns ordinary food into intrepid caped comestibles eager to protect the students of Baker Elementary from playground accidents and other mishaps. But even though Super Pizza and Kid Kale play equal roles in averting several near disasters, it’s the cheesy champion who gets all the love (“You’re the hero we knead!”)—and makes a cutting remark about how the surly side dish is “just…garnish.” The ensuing argument (“You want a pizza me?”) escalates into a full-scale riot that leaves the school spattered with garbage. Seeing a student’s tears brings the maddened menu items back to their senses, though, and once the “crustfallen” pizza has expressed remorse, the vengeful veggie is quick to forgive and even to lead the cleanup effort. Though it stretches logic to see the students and staff suddenly cheering the “lean green roughage machine” and proclaiming it “as good as pizza!” (sure), there’s nothing half-baked about the way Super Pizza and Kid Kale proclaim themselves “perfectly paired partners” and soar off together. Smith cranks the almost frantic action up another notch in his loudly colored and loosely drawn cartoon scenes; speech bubbles and occasional use of panels give this one a graphic-novel look. Students and staff are racially diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Dishes up a delicious duo, with a theme of reconciliation as the secret sauce. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Sept. 27, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-40370-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: June 7, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2022
A lesson that never grows old, enacted with verve by two favorite friends
Gerald the elephant learns a truth familiar to every preschooler—heck, every human: “Waiting is not easy!”
When Piggie cartwheels up to Gerald announcing that she has a surprise for him, Gerald is less than pleased to learn that the “surprise is a surprise.” Gerald pumps Piggie for information (it’s big, it’s pretty, and they can share it), but Piggie holds fast on this basic principle: Gerald will have to wait. Gerald lets out an almighty “GROAN!” Variations on this basic exchange occur throughout the day; Gerald pleads, Piggie insists they must wait; Gerald groans. As the day turns to twilight (signaled by the backgrounds that darken from mauve to gray to charcoal), Gerald gets grumpy. “WE HAVE WASTED THE WHOLE DAY!…And for WHAT!?” Piggie then gestures up to the Milky Way, which an awed Gerald acknowledges “was worth the wait.” Willems relies even more than usual on the slightest of changes in posture, layout and typography, as two waiting figures can’t help but be pretty static. At one point, Piggie assumes the lotus position, infuriating Gerald. Most amusingly, Gerald’s elephantine groans assume weighty physicality in spread-filling speech bubbles that knock Piggie to the ground. And the spectacular, photo-collaged images of the Milky Way that dwarf the two friends makes it clear that it was indeed worth the wait.
A lesson that never grows old, enacted with verve by two favorite friends . (Early reader. 6-8)Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4231-9957-1
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Approachable and comfortably predictable.
A young ghost arrives at Scare School.
Unlike big sister Bella, late bloomer Bash has never been good at “all the GHOST STUFF.” Dad’s sure that Scare School is just what Bash needs. Bash isn’t so certain; he’s intimidated by his classmates and teachers. But he perks up when he meets his roommate, Itsy, a smart, welcoming spider, though he vows to steer clear of mean-spirited Vlad and Vicky. Still, the dreaded Creature Aptitude Test worries Bash. To pass, he must pass through solid objects and turn himself invisible—skills he struggles with. Bash doesn’t want to be kicked out of school, so he’ll have to buckle down. With Itsy’s help and encouragement from his classmates, Bash realizes he’s more capable than he thought. Written in first person from endearingly anxious Bash’s point of view, the book has a diarylike feel. The text is presented in a handwritten font, while grayscale cartoon illustrations are peppered throughout. The supportive, sincere friendship between Bash and Itsy is the most compelling part of the story. Letters between Bash and Bella shed further light on Bash’s personality and their relationship. Though the book’s takeaway—believe in yourself, and you can do anything—is a familiar one, it’s just what many children need…and who better to deliver the message than an adorably nervous ghost?
Approachable and comfortably predictable. (Fiction. 6-8)Pub Date: July 16, 2024
ISBN: 9781665922098
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: April 20, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2024
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