Malhotra’s debut book for young readers offers a sweet story about a star who falls in love.
Like a traditional fairy tale, this book begins with a princess and her father, the king. The twist is that the princess, Shine, is a young star, and her father, Prime Ray, is a celestial being who rules the universe. Despite having everything she can possibly want, Shine is filled with loneliness. With the help of her magical guardian, Zydaar, she searches the cosmos for what she might be missing. Her gaze happens to fall on Earth and an enchanted forest where tiny elfin creatures called Poofys live; each has a distinct “poof” of hair on his head, sharp teeth and slight limbs. Protected by a fairy spell and watched over by an ancient being who’s taken the form of a jaguar, the Poofys have gone undetected by humans who live nearby. As a result, their world is an innocent paradise in which the most dangerous threat is a rain shower. One of the Poofys, Goom’pa, catches Shine’s eye, and she’s overcome by love. Illustrations would have greatly enhanced the text, as it may be difficult for readers to visualize the Poofys and the other characters. However, the Poofys’ misadventures will make entertaining bedtime reading for younger kids, who will be tickled by their silly names, such as D’uh and Sadsak. The cutesiness of their antics, as they spend their days searching for “munchies,” taking “nappies” and suffering “bonkies,” may soon wear thin for older readers, though. Although there are hints that the Poofys may encounter trouble if they stray from their community, this is a gentle story with no real conflict. Even when the stars confront power struggles in their celestial realm, which promises more excitement, the situations are generally nonthreatening and quickly resolved. Goom’pa and Shine are guaranteed a happily-ever-after ending, but it’s one that promises more adventures to follow.
A generally charming, if sometimes overly sweet, bedtime story for children.
Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Nov. 12, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A joyful celebration.
Families in a variety of configurations play, dance, and celebrate together.
The rhymed verse, based on a song from the Noodle Loaf children’s podcast, declares that “Families belong / Together like a puzzle / Different-sized people / One big snuggle.” The accompanying image shows an interracial couple of caregivers (one with brown skin and one pale) cuddling with a pajama-clad toddler with light brown skin and surrounded by two cats and a dog. Subsequent pages show a wide array of families with members of many different racial presentations engaging in bike and bus rides, indoor dance parties, and more. In some, readers see only one caregiver: a father or a grandparent, perhaps. One same-sex couple with two children in tow are expecting another child. Smart’s illustrations are playful and expressive, curating the most joyful moments of family life. The verse, punctuated by the word together, frequently set in oversized font, is gently inclusive at its best but may trip up readers with its irregular rhythms. The song that inspired the book can be found on the Noodle Loaf website.
A joyful celebration. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-22276-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Rise x Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: Nov. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2020
Continuing to find inspiration in the work of Virginia Lee Burton, Munro Leaf and other illustrators of the past, Long (The Little Engine That Could, 2005) offers an aw-shucks friendship tale that features a small but hardworking tractor (“putt puff puttedy chuff”) with a Little Toot–style face and a big-eared young descendant of Ferdinand the bull who gets stuck in deep, gooey mud. After the big new yellow tractor, crowds of overalls-clad locals and a red fire engine all fail to pull her out, the little tractor (who had been left behind the barn to rust after the arrival of the new tractor) comes putt-puff-puttedy-chuff-ing down the hill to entice his terrified bovine buddy successfully back to dry ground. Short on internal logic but long on creamy scenes of calf and tractor either gamboling energetically with a gaggle of McCloskey-like geese through neutral-toned fields or resting peacefully in the shade of a gnarled tree (apple, not cork), the episode will certainly draw nostalgic adults. Considering the author’s track record and influences, it may find a welcome from younger audiences too. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-399-25248-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2009
SEEN & HEARD
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