Next book

BOO'S BEARD

Oversimplifies a complex issue.

Children are given practice in reading facial expressions in this purposive picture book.

Though there are several children in the park outside Tom’s house, he’s lonely: “They didn’t play with Tom because he didn’t understand them, and they didn’t understand him.” Luckily, he’s got Boo, who wags her tail when she’s happy and whines when she is sad. One day, a girl in the park laughs as she watches Boo, as the dog’s beard is upturned in a smile. But Tom doesn’t understand. Sculpting the dog’s facial fur, Lydia emphasizes Boo’s smile and makes a direct connection: “Look! This smile means she’s happy.” She then models sad, angry, confused, and surprised with Boo’s beard and invites Tom to play. “ 'Okay,' said Tom. He pointed to his smile and said, ‘This means I’m happy.’ ” While readers may take away that there are some children who have not learned to read facial expressions, they may be frustrated when Lydia’s simplistic solution fails to work for every situation. Autism is never mentioned by name in the book (indeed, there is no letter to readers or parents and no backmatter), but it’s clear that Tom is on the spectrum, and parents of similar children may roll their eyes at the idea that teaching this skill is really this simple and one-and-done. Ironically, Straker’s illustrations show children with rather wooden expressions, and Boo’s aren’t all that clear, either.

Oversimplifies a complex issue. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2015

ISBN: 978-1-63450-207-8

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Sky Pony Press

Review Posted Online: July 14, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2015

Next book

LOVE FROM THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR

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

Next book

IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

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

Close Quickview