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THE SCARY BOOK

Silly scares and gruesome, good-natured fun for kids so inclined.

Big fangs come in small packages in this inventively creepy opus from France.

Bright colors and ghoulishly garish surprises await young readers brave enough to unfold the flaps in these amusingly over-the-top portraits of scary creatures. “Little fish / become big fish. / Beware of the piranha. / OUCH! OUCH! OUCH! / LET’S FIND A SAFE PLACE!” exhorts the text in larger and larger type. On recto, a tiny, wide-eyed green fish becomes a fearsome eating machine when the flap is folded down, revealing sharp teeth and a bite so wide the fish trebles in size. “A bat eats insects. / DO YOU WANT TO FIND OUT / WHAT THIS BAT EATS?” Unfolding the flap reveals a gaping maw of pink gums and razor-sharp fangs, suggesting a diet of anything it wants. A ghost, a toad, a crab, an octopus, a snake, a spider, a wolf, and, finally, a Halloween pumpkin full of bats and bugs round out the anatomically alarming cast. Interactivity and the element of surprise make this an amusing read for kids with strong stomachs and a sense of humor. Fair warning: Some of the drawings are pretty gross. The ghost, when extended, sports a rib cage and a stray trachea and esophagus, for example. Know your kid; this may not be suitable for those prone to nightmares. Though fairly stiff and secure, the fold-out flaps could tear in rough or excited hands.

Silly scares and gruesome, good-natured fun for kids so inclined. (Board book. 4-6)

Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2020

ISBN: 978-3-7913-7464-2

Page Count: 20

Publisher: Prestel

Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2020

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IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

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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ITTY BITTY BETTY BLOB

A light touch delivers an increasingly common but important message.

As her name suggests, Itty Bitty Betty Blob is a small, amorphous monster, but that’s not what sets her apart.

It’s Betty’s cheerful demeanor that makes her different from her peers. What kind of monster “rejoice[s] at rainbows” and “dance[s] among the dandelions”? Betty’s pink hue also distinguishes her from her classmates, who are rendered in a black-and-white palette, and makes her stand out in her rather somber, expressionistic setting. Brief, alliterative sentences keep the pages turning as readers learn about her trouble fitting in at school: While the other students faithfully reproduce a still life of dead flowers on a table, hers is a vibrant image of a living, yellow daisy. The crisis comes to a head on picture day. Despite the dreadful outfit her mother selects, Betty can’t grimace fiercely enough. As she travels through the spooky forest to school, the diminutive monster is distracted by a pink puff. Following it, she encounters an entire fluffy community that encourages her to be true to herself. Her frightful frock becomes an extravaganza of flowers. The climax involves a mood transformation for the entire class as puffs emerge from Betty’s dress, tickling everyone as the flash goes off. Children will enjoy the humor in the reversal of expectations around classroom culture—and will be heartened by Betty’s willingness to embrace what makes her different—although subsequent readings don’t yield much more.

A light touch delivers an increasingly common but important message. (Picture book. 4-6)

Pub Date: June 4, 2024

ISBN: 9781662640148

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Hippo Park/Astra Books for Young Readers

Review Posted Online: March 23, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2024

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