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THE PRINCESS AND THE FROGS

A refreshing princess book that puts kissing in its place and rejoices in childhood idylls.

Sometimes a prince is not what a princess needs.

Although Princess Cassandra, a dark-haired white girl who wears glasses and a tiara, has everything, she isn’t happy; she lacks a best friend. She decides that the friend she is missing must be a pet that matches her favorite green dress, swims, plays, jumps, and will sleep on her pillow. Well, the servants bring forth lots of pets that don’t match that description until at last presenting Cassandra with a frog. All is wonderful until she kisses him goodnight and poof! he turns into a prince. The thankful prince wants to marry her. But: “Princes aren’t pets. I want a frog!” She puts him to work in the castle. This happens so many times the castle is overrun by boy servants. Even her favorite frog turns into a prince, but this one is extremely unhappy as a boy; he likes being a frog and has nowhere to go as a human. After several days during which Cassandra is friendless and the boy is listless, she accidentally kisses him as she is soothing him, and the two live happily ever after…so long as she refrains from puckering up. Palacios’ watercolor, graphite, and digital illustrations portray a delightful array of facial expressions on both the humans and the frogs. Human diversity is introduced in the multiplicity of princes, but most of the significant characters appear to be white.

A refreshing princess book that puts kissing in its place and rejoices in childhood idylls. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: Nov. 15, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-236591-0

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2016

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TWINKLE, TWINKLE, LITTLE STAR

A nursery charmer.

A pink-cheeked version of a song most everyone knows, with new verses highlighting cozy animal dyads across the world.

The bright yellow and red owlet with its parent opens the lullaby with the verse we all know. Next a papa deer and fawn in the forest, a whale and calf in the sea, a kangaroo and joey in the outback, vulture and chick and so on, each filling a two-page spread. The verse mirrors the pictures: “Glisten, glisten, little star, / how I wonder what you are. / Up above the grassy plain …” shows a papa lion and cub, and on the next spread—“…through the warm, wet jungle rain”—a pair of rosy-cheeked monkeys. The five-pointed, butter-gold star is prominently visible on every spread. Color and line are thick and bold, while all of the animals, from polar bears to pussy cats, have button eyes and the suggestion of human smiles. The final verse (“Twinkle over towns and trees, / fields and farms, / Lakes and seas”) shows just such a vista, with lollipop trees, a building-block city and a little red lighthouse. The concluding spread, “Twinkle, twinkle, up above … // … for me and for / the one I love” pictures that bright star on one page facing a golden-haired mother and child. The music for this venerable tune is on the back endpaper.

A nursery charmer. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: Aug. 15, 2012

ISBN: 978-0-8234-2519-8

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Holiday House

Review Posted Online: June 12, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2012

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THE SUMMER NICK TAUGHT HIS CATS TO READ

Young listeners of all stripes (and species) will enjoy this warmhearted celebration of literacy and imagination.

An enthusiastic reader teaches his two cats to appreciate books, though it takes extra effort to interest one of them in the endeavor.

Nick is a round-headed, early-elementary-sized, brown-skinned child with a fluff of curly hair and two cats, Verne and Stevenson. All three enjoy frolicking together, but when Nick wants to read, one cat ignores him, and the other sprawls on the volume open in his lap (a habit that will be familiar to cat lovers of all ages). The latter, Verne, a small cat with orange-and-brown stripes and a cheerful disposition, is amenable to Nick’s instruction. “But not Stevenson,” who frowns, runs away, and even hisses. When Nick and Verne discover Stevenson’s fascination with pirates, however, they have the hook they need. Nick’s efforts are both logical and methodical, and once he has achieved his goal, he and his feline friends find ways to incorporate their favorite stories into all kinds of imaginative play. Manley’s conversational text flows smoothly and has a matter-of-fact tone that grounds the fantastical elements. Berube’s charmingly childlike art, created in ink, Flashe paint, and acrylic paint, captures the cats’ personalities perfectly and creates a cozy, everyday world with just enough amusing details to reward repeat readings.

Young listeners of all stripes (and species) will enjoy this warmhearted celebration of literacy and imagination. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: July 5, 2016

ISBN: 978-1-4814-3569-7

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Paula Wiseman/Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: April 12, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2016

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