A strong and creative young narrator makes this clever family tale resonate.
A boy searches for a solution that will enable his grandfather and a bee to enjoy mornings without bothering each other in this rhyming picture book.
Every morning, the unnamed narrator wakes so he can watch his grandfather’s daily encounters with a bee who lives on the porch. First, his grandfather has to put in his dentures and say a prayer. The boy observes: “I don’t think, wink, wink that Grandpa can talk to God without his special teeth.” Soon Grandpa and his dog, Sparks, are off to the porch with a hot mug of tea. But as soon as Grandpa sits down, Bizzy Bzzz appears; soon the two are dancing around the porch while the narrator laughs. After Grandpa nearly falls (rescued by the narrator and Sparks), the boy devises a possible solution. Maybe Bizzy Bzzz isn’t after Grandpa but the honey in his tea. Peagler, whose previous books are for an older audience, offers syncopated rhyming phrases within long blocks of prose; the formatting may cause the young audience (or parents reading aloud) to stumble before finding the shifting rhythm. The narrator and his grandfather are clearly a loving pair. Digital pictures from Blueberry Illustrations deftly show the affectionate relationship between the two, who are both brown-skinned. Subtle references to faith ground this book in a spiritual setting without preaching, and the message of finding a solution that allows kindness to all parties is well delivered.
A strong and creative young narrator makes this clever family tale resonate.Pub Date: May 29, 2021
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Script Novel Publishing
Review Posted Online: April 28, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Not enough tricks to make this a treat.
Another holiday title (How To Catch the Easter Bunny by Adam Wallace, illustrated by Elkerton, 2017) sticks to the popular series’ formula.
Rhyming four-line verses describe seven intrepid trick-or-treaters’ efforts to capture the witch haunting their Halloween. Rhyming roadblocks with toolbox is an acceptable stretch, but too often too many words or syllables in the lines throw off the cadence. Children familiar with earlier titles will recognize the traps set by the costume-clad kids—a pulley and box snare, a “Tunnel of Tricks.” Eventually they accept her invitation to “floss, bump, and boogie,” concluding “the dance party had hit the finale at last, / each dancing monster started to cheer! / There’s no doubt about it, we have to admit: / This witch threw the party of the year!” The kids are diverse, and their costumes are fanciful rather than scary—a unicorn, a dragon, a scarecrow, a red-haired child in a lab coat and bow tie, a wizard, and two space creatures. The monsters, goblins, ghosts, and jack-o'-lanterns, backgrounded by a turquoise and purple night sky, are sufficiently eerie. Still, there isn’t enough originality here to entice any but the most ardent fans of Halloween or the series. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Not enough tricks to make this a treat. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-72821-035-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: May 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
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Only for dedicated fans of the series.
When a kid gets the part of the ninja master in the school play, it finally seems to be the right time to tackle the closet monster.
“I spot my monster right away. / He’s practicing his ROAR. / He almost scares me half to death, / but I won’t be scared anymore!” The monster is a large, fluffy poison-green beast with blue hands and feet and face and a fluffy blue-and-green–striped tail. The kid employs a “bag of tricks” to try to catch the monster: in it are a giant wind-up shark, two cans of silly string, and an elaborate cage-and-robot trap. This last works, but with an unexpected result: the monster looks sad. Turns out he was only scaring the boy to wake him up so they could be friends. The monster greets the boy in the usual monster way: he “rips a massive FART!!” that smells like strawberries and lime, and then they go to the monster’s house to meet his parents and play. The final two spreads show the duo getting ready for bed, which is a rather anticlimactic end to what has otherwise been a rambunctious tale. Elkerton’s bright illustrations have a TV-cartoon aesthetic, and his playful beast is never scary. The narrator is depicted with black eyes and hair and pale skin. Wallace’s limping verses are uninspired at best, and the scansion and meter are frequently off.
Only for dedicated fans of the series. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-4894-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
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