Fans will enjoy the spooky outing, newbies should start with earlier volumes for maximum fun.
Adventure-magnet Danny Dragonbreath and his nebbish sidekick Wendell have no idea what trick-or-treat has in store for them…
The first horror: Wendell’s costume consists of two pie tins, one emblazoned with a plus and another with a minus…he’s a hydrogen atom. He’s hoping the pity candy will offset the embarrassment. The second horror: Danny’s dad has volunteered to take Christiana Vanderpool along. Christiana is an official Junior Skeptic (who doesn’t believe that Danny’s a real dragon). The third horror (though far from the last): Big Eddy and his pack of lizard goons lurk. Danny and company feel safe enough with parents nearby, but then Big Eddy dares Danny to go into the local haunted house. What can a young dragon do? The trio gets locked in the house, and the horrors begin to mount. Pictures change from crying clowns to flowers, mysterious thumps echo down dark halls, floors collapse, ghostly visions appear…will they survive the spectral onslaught—but, more importantly, will they escape with their candy collections intact? Vernon’s fifth hybrid text-and–graphic-panels tale extends Danny’s search for adventure (and Wendell’s search for safety). Plenty of gags and one-liners similar to previous outings, in two-color panels and short chapters.
Fans will enjoy the spooky outing, newbies should start with earlier volumes for maximum fun. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 5-9)Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3527-9
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: July 5, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2011
An accessible early reader for the holiday shelf.
A Thanksgiving-themed text for new readers features illustrations of a grateful child in a multiracial family.
The unnamed narrator, a child of color with brown skin and wavy, dark hair, awakens and is thankful there’s no school that day. The narrator’s happy to pitch in when Pops, an elder who uses a cane and has gray hair and lighter skin, asks for help in the kitchen. They join the child’s mother in making pies, and then they visit the child’s father at his job as a firefighter (the former has lighter skin like Pops’, the latter shares the narrator’s coloring). Throughout, the child gives thanks—expressing gratitude “that Pops lives with us” and “for what my dad and his crew do to keep us safe.” After participating in the town’s turkey-trot road race, they return home to greet diverse extended family (cousins, aunts, uncles, and Great-Gran), who join them for a shared meal, watching football on TV, and, once the weather clears up, playing football outside. With its consistent affirmations and digital art that visually echoes the text, the book is rooted in the “positive power” its series title extols. This doesn’t lead to action-packed storytelling but could spark conversations about gratitude and Thanksgiving, depicted as a modern family celebration without any reference to its history in Colonial America. Series companion I Am Kind publishes simultaneously.
An accessible early reader for the holiday shelf. (Early reader. 6-8)Pub Date: Oct. 10, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-62336-920-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Rodale Kids
Review Posted Online: Aug. 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2017
Gives “friend” a disquieting nuance.
On the spur of the moment, anyone can make a mistake.
In a twist on Eric Carle’s classic Do You Want to Be My Friend? (1971) and the many like-themed quests trailing in its wake, a suddenly friendless yellow monster makes the titular confession, mourns, and then goes in search of a new companion. Following a string of refusals that range from “No, you are too big,” and “No, you are too scary” (not to mention a terse “No”) to a terrifying, page filling “Rrrooar!” the monster begins to lose heart. Will it be lonely forever? But, no fears, a suitable (teal) candidate sidles up at last: “Hello! I will be your friend.” Cue the warm smiles and clasped paws…until a page turn reveals only the new arrival, guiltily admitting, “I just ate my friend.” Arranged in simple compositions and positioned for maximum comic effect, McKinnon’s monsters don’t look at all feral (although the protagonist does have a mouthful of sharp teeth, they are very tiny, commanding much less attention than its large, googly eyes and potato-shaped body), so the summary fate of the yellow one may come as a surprise (at least the first time through) to audiences who expect a more-conventional ending. Readers who prefer their comedy on the dark side à la Jon Klassen’s I Want My Hat Back (2011) or Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross’ Tadpole’s Promise (2005) will relish this alternative outcome.
Gives “friend” a disquieting nuance. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: June 26, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5344-1032-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 18, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2018
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