Though unoriginal, this is a bedtime book kids will likely want to keep.
Mouse needs her favorite bedtime book now!
Poor Mouse is very upset, so she reaches out to good pal Frank the dog. Mouse left her favorite bedtime book outside her flowerpot home, and now it’s missing. Frank, having just roused himself from bed, extends a concerned paw and checks for himself. His keen nose discerns a trail leading to mutual friend Bella the cat, who concedes she left Mouse’s book near Owl’s house. The trio hurries off, but…no book. And it turns out that Owl has given the book to Baby Hedgehog. Disconsolate Mouse doesn’t have the heart to retrieve her book from the baby, so everyone returns home. Frank attempts to fall asleep again, but, struck with a sudden idea, he rushes off to Mouse. The idea? Kindly Frank’s brought his favorite nighttime book to share with her. As Mouse listens, it sounds familiar: She and Frank have the same favorite bedtime book, so Mouse gets to hear her favorite story after all! This British import is simple, sweet, and gentle—if also thin and predictable. Sharp youngsters will wonder why clues about the book’s cover design, mentioned earlier in the story, didn’t tip Frank off sooner that his and Mouse’s favorite bedtime books are identical. Collagelike illustrations enhance the charm, with endearing, wide-eyed animal characters posed against black or dark-green backgrounds.
Though unoriginal, this is a bedtime book kids will likely want to keep. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-68010-186-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: Dec. 17, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2020
Still, preschoolers will likely savor this mouthwatering treatment of a subject that looms large in many early school...
The familiar theme of the challenges facing a new kid in town is given an original treatment by photographer Border in this book of photos of three-dimensional objects in a simple modeled landscape.
Peanut Butter is represented by a slice of white bread spread with the popular condiment. The other characters in the story—a hamburger with a pair of hot dogs in tow, a bowl of alphabet soup, a meatball jumping a rope of spaghetti, a carton of French fries and a pink cupcake—are represented by skillfully crafted models of these foods, anthropomorphized using simple wire construction. Rejected by each character in turn in his search for playmates, Peanut Butter discovers in the end that Jelly is his true match (not Cupcake, as the title suggests), perhaps because she is the only one who looks like him, being a slice of white bread spread with jelly. The friendly foods end up happily playing soccer together. Some parents may have trouble with the unabashedly happy depiction of carbs and American junk food (no carrots or celery sticks in this landscape), and others may find themselves troubled by the implication that friendship across difference is impossible.
Still, preschoolers will likely savor this mouthwatering treatment of a subject that looms large in many early school experiences. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 29, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-399-16773-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2014
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
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