The book effectively suggests that the term “rat race” may no longer be applicable to urban job life, but its audience is...
A hip-looking white duck with a bandanna and blue ankle boots tries to find a job he will enjoy.
Duck looks for a city job despite the dull-seeming descriptions he reads in the job ads. After snagging an interview, his next task is to assemble his interview suit: a black hat and an attaché case. After small mishaps on the way, he is interviewed by a faceless white man (Mr. Boss) and gets the position. In his cubicle, surrounded by white humans, he is bored into slumber by spreadsheets. Leaving that job, he decides to become an artist. (Is this autobiographical?) This time, a black woman, wearing jeans and the same blue ankle boots as Duck, interviews him. He finally finds his niche at Creative Magazine and happily commutes, via skateboard! The text is short, in keeping with early-elementary attention spans, though the theme seems better suited to millennials than little kids. The posterlike mixed-media illustrations are droll, but the limited palette, relying on blues, browns, white, and black, likewise has a very mature look. Visual jokes add interest (inclusion of ducks in famous paintings is amusing), but the adults sharing this with children seem to be the appropriate audience. Still, the important message here is that the creative life is a great choice.
The book effectively suggests that the term “rat race” may no longer be applicable to urban job life, but its audience is uncertain. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: June 12, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-7636-9896-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Templar/Candlewick
Review Posted Online: March 17, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2018
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
Gently models kindness and respect—positive behavior that can be applied daily.
A group of young “dinosauruses” go out into the world on their own.
A fuchsia little Hugasaurus and her Pappysaur (both of whom resemble Triceratops) have never been apart before, but Hugasaurus happily heads off with lunchbox in hand and “wonder in her heart” to make new friends. The story has a first-day-of-school feeling, but Hugasaurus doesn’t end up in a formal school environment; rather, she finds herself on a playground with other little prehistoric creatures, though no teacher or adult seems to be around. At first, the new friends laugh and play. But Hugasaurus’ pals begin to squabble, and play comes to a halt. As she wonders what to do, a fuzzy platypus playmate asks some wise questions (“What…would your Pappy say to do? / What makes YOU feel better?”), and Hugasaurus decides to give everyone a hug—though she remembers to ask permission first. Slowly, good humor is restored and play begins anew with promises to be slow to anger and, in general, to help create a kinder world. Short rhyming verses occasionally use near rhyme but also include fun pairs like ripples and double-triples. Featuring cozy illustrations of brightly colored creatures, the tale sends a strong message about appropriate and inappropriate ways to resolve conflict, the final pages restating the lesson plainly in a refrain that could become a classroom motto. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Gently models kindness and respect—positive behavior that can be applied daily. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Dec. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-338-82869-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Orchard/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2022
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