An unconventional twist on a well-known tale.
Two siblings’ attempt to catch their escapee breakfast leads to a magical journey.
As a hungry little girl reaches for the last dosa, a thin rice and lentil crepe, it suddenly transforms into a cheeky runaway trying to escape its fate. As she and her brother follow the dosa, they find themselves transported to an enchanted wonderland full of magical creatures from Hindu mythology. The vulture Jatayu, colorful lizard Nrga, and monkey Riksha, among others, call out to the children and help them in their search. However, the siblings are unable to catch the tricky dosa, which then meets its inevitable end. When the children return home hungry, their mother reassures them that more dosas are on the way. Inspired by “The Gingerbread Man” and the popular Tamil rhyme “Dosai! Amma, Dosai,” the story is a whimsical magical trip. The illustrations rely on intricate patterns with traditional Indian touches in the clothing, utensils, and family’s warm shades of brown. However, the transition as the children enter the magical world feels abrupt, and the rhymes sound clunky. Though this story lacks the repetition and momentum of “The Gingerbread Man,” for many readers, it will open the door to a world of fantastical beasts. The book includes the original rhyme in Tamil and English as well as a Tamil glossary. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
An unconventional twist on a well-known tale. (author’s note, origin stories of the creatures mentioned, a note about dosas, dosa recipe) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781499813975
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
A flavorful call to action sure to spur young introverts.
In this latest slice in the Food Group series, Humble Pie learns to stand up to a busy friend who’s taking advantage of his pal’s hard work on the sidelines.
Jake the Cake and Humble Pie are good friends. Where Pie is content to toil in the background, Jake happily shines in the spotlight. Alert readers will notice that Pie’s always right there, too, getting A-pluses and skiing expertly just behind—while also doing the support work that keeps every school and social project humming. “Fact: Nobody notices pie when there’s cake nearby!” When the two friends pair up for a science project, things begin well. But when the overcommitted Jake makes excuse after excuse, showing up late or not at all, a panicked Pie realizes that they won’t finish in time. When Jake finally shows up on the night before the project’s due, Pie courageously confronts him. “And for once, I wasn’t going to sugarcoat it.” The friends talk it out and collaborate through the night for the project’s successful presentation in class the next day. John and Oswald’s winning recipe—plentiful puns and delightful visual jokes—has yielded another treat here. The narration does skew didactic as it wraps up: “There’s nothing wrong with having a tough conversation, asking for help, or making sure you’re being treated fairly.” But it’s all good fun, in service of some gentle lessons about social-emotional development.
A flavorful call to action sure to spur young introverts. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9780063469730
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Echoes of Runaway Bunny color this exchange between a bath-averse piglet and his patient mother. Using a strategy that would probably be a nonstarter in real life, the mother deflects her stubborn offspring’s string of bath-free occupational conceits with appeals to reason: “Pirates NEVER EVER take baths!” “Pirates don’t get seasick either. But you do.” “Yeesh. I’m an astronaut, okay?” “Well, it is hard to bathe in zero gravity. It’s hard to poop and pee in zero gravity too!” And so on, until Mom’s enticing promise of treasure in the deep sea persuades her little Treasure Hunter to take a dive. Chunky figures surrounded by lots of bright white space in Segal’s minimally detailed watercolors keep the visuals as simple as the plotline. The language isn’t quite as basic, though, and as it rendered entirely in dialogue—Mother Pig’s lines are italicized—adult readers will have to work hard at their vocal characterizations for it to make any sense. Moreover, younger audiences (any audiences, come to that) may wonder what the piggy’s watery closing “EUREKA!!!” is all about too. Not particularly persuasive, but this might coax a few young porkers to get their trotters into the tub. (Picture book. 4-6)
Pub Date: March 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-399-25425-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: Jan. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
