Homing in on the delight of discovery, Lai’s second Tomo book encourages readers to get creative when solving problems.
Tomo and his best friend, Maya, use his great-grandfather’s Adventure Journal to solve more problems (Tomo Explores the World, 2016).
As Tomo plots how to fly like a bird, Maya has discovered some unusual bird tracks to investigate. Off they go to their treehouse to see if the Adventure Journal can help them with these mysteries. Though the book has a diagram of a “flying machine” (actually a suit with wings, which may stretch many young readers’ notion of “machine”), it does not have all the information Tomo needs, so he decides to experiment. After Maya suggests he model his wings after a bird’s, they find a map in the Adventure Journal that leads them to a bird sanctuary on their island home. At the sanctuary, they spot the rare boka bird—the source of the mysterious tracks. Observing how the boka flies inspires Tomo to try again. Lai sets his tale in a lushly green fishing community. Background details of Cape Cod–style frame houses combine with such stereotypical elements as clothing style, animal-head medallions, and Tomo’s father’s animal-tooth necklace to give readers a sense of a modern, generic indigenous community. Tomo and Maya have pink skin, black hair, and black, button eyes. But the main event is Tomo’s Leonardo-like excitement in invention.
Homing in on the delight of discovery, Lai’s second Tomo book encourages readers to get creative when solving problems. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Oct. 24, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-250-08546-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Imprint
Review Posted Online: Aug. 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2017
A strong series start.
In a video game, a superpowered rabbit must rescue a singing dog that brings everyone happiness.
In the frame story, a brown-skinned human protagonist plays a video game on a handheld console evocative of the classic Nintendo Gameboy. The bulk of the book relates the game’s storyline: Animal Town is a peaceful place where everyone is delighted by Singing Dog, until the fun-hating King Viking (whose black-mustachioed, pink-skinned looks reference the Super Mario Brothers game series villain, Wario) uses his army of robots to abduct Singing Dog. To save Singing Dog—and fun—the animals send the fastest among them, Simon the Hedgehog, to get Super Rabbit Boy (who gains speed and jumping powers by eating special carrots) to save the day. The chapters take Super Rabbit Boy through video game levels, with classic, video game–style settings and enemies. Throughout the book, when the game’s player loses either a life in the game or the game entirely, the unnamed kid must choose to persevere and not give up. The storylines are differentiated by colorful art styles—cartoonish for the real world, 8-bit pixel-sprite–style for the game. The fast, repetitive plot uses basic, simple sentences and child-friendly objects of interest, such as lakes of lava, for children working on reading independence, while the nerdy in-jokes benefit adults reading with a child.
A strong series start. (Early reader. 5-7)Pub Date: Jan. 3, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-338-03472-1
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Branches/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2016
These reindeer games are a bit tired but, given the series’ popularity, should have a large, ready-made audience.
The How to Catch A… crew try for Comet.
Having already failed to nab a Halloween witch, the Easter Bunny, a turkey, a leprechaun, the Tooth Fairy, and over a dozen other iconic trophies in previous episodes of this bestselling series, one would think the racially diverse gaggle of children in Elkerton’s moonlit, wintry scenes would be flagging…but no, here they lay out snares ranging from a loop of garland to an igloo baited with reindeer moss to an enticing candy cane maze, all in hopes of snagging one of Santa’s reindeer while he’s busy delivering presents. Infused with pop culture–based Christmas cheer (“Now I’ve already seen the shelf with the elf”), Comet prances past the traps until it’s time to gather up the kids, most of whom look terrified, for a group snapshot with the other reindeer and then climb back into harness: “This was a great stop but a few million to go / Christmas Eve must continue with style!” Though festive, the verse feels trite and unlikely to entice youngsters. A sprinkling of “True Facts About Reindeer” (“They live in the tundra, where they have friends like the arctic bunny”) wrap up this celebration of the predatory spirit. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
These reindeer games are a bit tired but, given the series’ popularity, should have a large, ready-made audience. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2022
ISBN: 9781728276137
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2022
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