Visit the library or bookstore for a new read instead.
A flier from the Daddy Store starts a young boy to thinking about his dad’s flaws.
His dad doesn’t notice his aquatic feats at the pool and thinks the fair’s expensive, so the boy pulls his sad-looking and obviously reluctant dad by the hand to the Daddy Store for a trade. But the three different dads he tries out aren’t much better. One is a cheerleader parent, another is too competitive, and a third, a movie star, takes the boy to the fair but gives him money instead of his time. The boy returns to the Daddy Store just in time to prevent two other children from walking away with his original father, and the two, both white, return home: “You are the best dad in the world!” Never addressed is the inattention that originally prompted the trade. While the sign behind the counter prompts shoppers to “Choose your color,” “Choose your type” (seemingly amount of muscle/weight), and “Choose your size” (height), of the three dads on display, two are white, and one might be Latino (though on the endpapers and in one internal illustration, eight more dads are pictured: five white, one possibly East Asian, and two dark-skinned—one in a wheelchair and one very pudgy one who is labeled “Makes delicious pancakes”). The illustrations, which appear to be digital, just echo the text, and most of the featured women are troublingly sexualized.
Visit the library or bookstore for a new read instead. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: May 10, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-60537-266-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clavis
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2016
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads.
Emma deals with jitters before playing the guitar in the school talent show.
Pop musician Kevin Jonas and his wife, Danielle, put performance at the center of their picture-book debut. When Emma is intimidated by her very talented friends, the encouragement of her younger sister, Bella, and the support of her family help her to shine her own light. The story is straightforward and the moral familiar: Draw strength from your family and within to overcome your fears. Employing the performance-anxiety trope that’s been written many times over, the book plods along predictably—there’s nothing really new or surprising here. Dawson’s full-color digital illustrations center a White-presenting family along with Emma’s three friends of color: Jamila has tanned skin and wears a hijab; Wendy has dark brown skin and Afro puffs; and Luis has medium brown skin. Emma’s expressive eyes and face are the real draw of the artwork—from worry to embarrassment to joy, it’s clear what she’s feeling. A standout double-page spread depicts Emma’s talent show performance, with a rainbow swirl of music erupting from an amp and Emma rocking a glam outfit and electric guitar. Overall, the book reads pretty plainly, buoyed largely by the artwork. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35207-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
Menacing and most likely to appeal to established fans of its co-creators.
Existing artwork from an artistic giant inspires a fairy-tale reimagination by a master of the horror genre.
In King’s interpretation of a classic Brothers Grimm story, which accompanies set and costume designs that the late Sendak created for a 1997 production of Engelbert Humperdinck’s opera, siblings Hansel and Gretel survive abandonment in the woods and an evil witch’s plot to gobble them up before finding their “happily ever after” alongside their father. Prose with the reassuring cadence of an old-timey tale, paired with Sendak’s instantly recognizable artwork, will lull readers before capitalizing on these creators’ knack for injecting darkness into seemingly safe spaces. Gaping faces loom in crevices of rocks and trees, and a gloomy palette of muted greens and ocher amplify the story’s foreboding tone, while King never sugarcoats the peach-skinned children’s peril. Branches with “clutching fingers” hide “the awful enchanted house” of a “child-stealing witch,” all portrayed in an eclectic mix of spot and full-bleed images. Featuring insults that might strike some as harsh (“idiot,” “fool”), the lengthy, dense text may try young readers’ patience, and the often overwhelmingly ominous mood feels more pitched to adults—particularly those familiar with King and Sendak—but an introduction acknowledges grandparents as a likely audience, and nostalgia may prompt leniency over an occasional disconnect between words and art.
Menacing and most likely to appeal to established fans of its co-creators. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 2, 2025
ISBN: 9780062644695
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 15, 2025
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