A charming, funny selection that’s sure to be embraced.
How many ways can one child help?
Plucky heroine Edie is absolutely ready to help. What she doesn’t realize is that her version of helping is sometimes…different from everyone else’s. Stylized, matte illustrations recall the 1960s and vibrate with simplicity and charm as they show Edie in action. For instance, she helps wake her family by banging cymbals, dragging her brother from bed, and serenading her parents (with guitar) as loudly as possible. Her attempt at making breakfast is equally unconventional, and the way she lends a hand at shopping, organizing, and tidying up may be just a tiny bit…unhelpful. After making sure everyone has a good time at the park, Edie is ready for a nap, but she wakes ready to help again; first her brother needs help dressing up, and then Grandma needs some makeup and Grandpa, a new hairstyle (both delivered while they are asleep). “Sometime I have to remember NOT to be quite so helpful,” Edie says…but she also knows she is much appreciated and very much loved. The clear, straightforward text is full of warm and gentle humor and is aligned with the illustrations to allow young listeners the space to draw connections between the words and pictures. Edie and her family are uniformly pale-skinned, black-haired, and dot-eyed.
A charming, funny selection that’s sure to be embraced. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 9, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-399-54806-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
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
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together.
A clueless duckling tries to make a new friend.
He is confused by this peculiar-looking duck, who has a long tail, doesn’t waddle and likes to be alone. No matter how explicitly the creature denies he is a duck and announces that he is a cat, the duckling refuses to acknowledge the facts. When this creature expresses complete lack of interest in playing puddle stomp, the little ducking goes off and plays on his own. But the cat is not without remorse for rejecting an offered friendship. Of course it all ends happily, with the two new friends enjoying each other’s company. Bramsen employs brief sentences and the simplest of rhymes to tell this slight tale. The two heroes are meticulously drawn with endearing, expressive faces and body language, and their feathers and fur appear textured and touchable. Even the detailed tree bark and grass seem three-dimensional. There are single- and double-page spreads, panels surrounded by white space and circular and oval frames, all in a variety of eye-pleasing juxtapositions. While the initial appeal is solidly visual, young readers will get the gentle message that friendship is not something to take for granted but is to be embraced with open arms—or paws and webbed feet.
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-375-86990-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 13, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2012
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