An accessible, brightly colored work that may appeal to young fans of superheroes and kids who need a little encouragement...
An African-American child who loves vegetables uses his superpowers to keep bad-health monsters away in this picture book by author Base and illustrator Hefke (Toni the Superhero, 2018).
Toni is a seemingly ordinary youngster who can transform into a caped-and-masked hero. Using his “Veggie Power,” he combats such villains as Mr. Softy Bones, who can make bones grow soft; Mr. Gross Yucka Boo Boo, who can cause sickness; and Ms. Tummy Slam Pangs, who gives people stomachaches after they eat junk food. Sometimes Toni’s powers appear as rays from his eyes; at other times, they appear to have a martial arts element. Hefke’s two-page spreads of cartoon clouds with limbs flailing and comic-book–style sound effects obscure any depiction of actual violence. In short sentences with repeated keywords (“Toni eats vegetables. Vegetables make him strong”), Base emphasizes eating veggies of different colors, which will give preschool lap-readers the opportunity to identify both the hues and the vegetables portrayed. Although Toni and his friends, a diverse group, don’t speak any lines, their illustrated reactions to bad guys and good foods will give readers instant understanding.
An accessible, brightly colored work that may appeal to young fans of superheroes and kids who need a little encouragement to eat healthier.Pub Date: June 19, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-72166-632-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Playful, engaging, and full of opportunities for empathy—a raucous storytime hit.
Readers try to dislodge a monster from the pages of this emotive and interactive read-aloud.
“OH NO!” the story starts. “There’s a monster in your book!” The blue, round-headed monster with pink horns and a pink-tipped tail can be seen cheerfully munching on the opening page. “Let’s try to get him out,” declares the narrator. Readers are encouraged to shake, tilt, and spin the book around, while the monster careens around an empty background looking scared and lost. Viewers are exhorted to tickle the monster’s feet, blow on the page, and make a really loud noise. Finally, shockingly, it works: “Now he’s in your room!” But clearly a monster in your book is safer than a monster in your room, so he’s coaxed back into the illustrations and lulled to sleep, curled up under one page and cuddling a bit of another like a child with their blankie. The monster’s entirely cute appearance and clear emotional reactions to his treatment add to the interactive aspect, and some young readers might even resist the instructions to avoid hurting their new pal. Children will be brought along on the monster’s journey, going from excited, noisy, and wiggly to calm and steady (one can hope).
Playful, engaging, and full of opportunities for empathy—a raucous storytime hit. (Picture book. 2-7)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5247-6456-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: June 4, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Visually accomplished but marred by stereotypical cultural depictions.
Ellis, known for her illustrations for Colin Meloy’s Wildwood series, here riffs on the concept of “home.”
Shifting among homes mundane and speculative, contemporary and not, Ellis begins and ends with views of her own home and a peek into her studio. She highlights palaces and mansions, but she also takes readers to animal homes and a certain famously folkloric shoe (whose iconic Old Woman manages a passel of multiethnic kids absorbed in daring games). One spread showcases “some folks” who “live on the road”; a band unloads its tour bus in front of a theater marquee. Ellis’ compelling ink and gouache paintings, in a palette of blue-grays, sepia and brick red, depict scenes ranging from mythical, underwater Atlantis to a distant moonscape. Another spread, depicting a garden and large building under connected, transparent domes, invites readers to wonder: “Who in the world lives here? / And why?” (Earth is seen as a distant blue marble.) Some of Ellis’ chosen depictions, oddly juxtaposed and stripped of any historical or cultural context due to the stylized design and spare text, become stereotypical. “Some homes are boats. / Some homes are wigwams.” A sailing ship’s crew seems poised to land near a trio of men clad in breechcloths—otherwise unidentified and unremarked upon.
Visually accomplished but marred by stereotypical cultural depictions. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6529-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2014
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