A spectacular day in Skeletown.
Down in Skeletown, a pair of tricksters get into mischief and hijinks in this monochromatic-flavored romp.
Time to prepare for a birthday! A round-headed little skeleton, similar to those seen in Dia de los Muertos imagery, lies on the floor with a card splayed open. The word Sí hovers above this scene. A page turn reveals that the young scamp is actually blocking the lane near the card rack. A frowning adult hovers nearby, with the word No atop the page. It’s a story of comical opposites, with text made up of only two words, as two young Skeletown hellions bring harmless, fun trouble to a birthday party. A big present for the birthday recipient certainly seems sweet (“Sí”), but then a jack-in-the-box pops out to cause a fright. “No” indeed. Take a small bite out of a slice of birthday cake (an easy “Sí” for most), but perhaps don’t gulp down the rest of the cake (a “No” if there ever was one). And bash the piñata, but watch out for a nearby beehive! It all culminates in a daredevil bicycle trick as one of the rascals pedals up a ramp to fly over the heads of the other partygoers. “¡No!” With bold, simple, thick-lined, black-and-white images set against a scratchy red background, Montijo’s Skeletown series opener oozes hilarity in an eye-popping package. The sublime, repeated juxtaposition of Sí and No offers wacky, surprising moments of levity, and it all comes together for a charming ending. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A spectacular day in Skeletown. (Picture book. 2-6)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2023
ISBN: 9780316464932
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2023
Safe to creep on by.
Carle’s famous caterpillar expresses its love.
In three sentences that stretch out over most of the book’s 32 pages, the (here, at least) not-so-ravenous larva first describes the object of its love, then describes how that loved one makes it feel before concluding, “That’s why… / I[heart]U.” There is little original in either visual or textual content, much of it mined from The Very Hungry Caterpillar. “You are… / …so sweet,” proclaims the caterpillar as it crawls through the hole it’s munched in a strawberry; “…the cherry on my cake,” it says as it perches on the familiar square of chocolate cake; “…the apple of my eye,” it announces as it emerges from an apple. Images familiar from other works join the smiling sun that shone down on the caterpillar as it delivers assurances that “you make… / …the sun shine brighter / …the stars sparkle,” and so on. The book is small, only 7 inches high and 5 ¾ inches across when closed—probably not coincidentally about the size of a greeting card. While generations of children have grown up with the ravenous caterpillar, this collection of Carle imagery and platitudinous sentiment has little of his classic’s charm. The melding of Carle’s caterpillar with Robert Indiana’s iconic LOVE on the book’s cover, alas, draws further attention to its derivative nature.
Safe to creep on by. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Dec. 15, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-448-48932-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.
A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.
Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780593702901
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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