A timely nod to female empowerment that knits together generations of girls and women and raises a hat to activists...
Knitting and stylish headwear frame the 2017 Women’s March in a new light for young readers.
Lina is confused. Her grandmother owns scads of pink yarn yet insists that they go out and buy even more. The shade of pink Grandma requires is a “grown-up pink” necessary to make the pussyhats she’s knitting for family, friends, and strangers in preparation for the upcoming Women’s March. As Lina learns how to knit a hat of her own, her dad explains the significance of the headgear, her mother imparts knowledge about feminist movements to her and her brother, and Grandma shares her experiences participating in past women’s rights protests. Lina isn’t sure her small voice can make a difference in the struggle, but when she and her family attend the historic march, she becomes emboldened to work even harder for positive change. Newell DePalma’s deft and creative mixed-media illustrations incorporate appliqués of real-life pussyhats that showcase meticulous stitchwork. A single pink piece of yarn weaves and winds between the feet of the characters, drawing them forward toward the march and beyond. Knitting metaphors are worked into the text, such as when Lina suggests that she and her grandmother loop elbows at the march, “like we are knitting.” A closing author’s note gives background and context to the 2017 global demonstration. All main characters present as White.
A timely nod to female empowerment that knits together generations of girls and women and raises a hat to activists everywhere. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Jan. 4, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-7624-7389-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Running Press Kids
Review Posted Online: Dec. 2, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.
A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.
Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780593702901
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Quirky, familiar fun for series devotees.
After Duncan finds his crayons gone—yet again—letters arrive, detailing their adventures in friendship.
Eleven crayons send missives from their chosen spots throughout Duncan’s home (and one from his classroom). Red enjoys the thrill of extinguishing “pretend fires” with Duncan’s toy firetruck. White, so often dismissed as invisible, finds a new calling subbing in for the missing queen on the black-and-white chessboard. “Now everyone ALWAYS SEES ME!…(Well, half the time!)” Pink’s living the dream as a pastry chef helming the Breezy Bake Oven, “baking everything from little cupcakes…to…OTHER little cupcakes!” Teal, who’s hitched a ride to school in Duncan’s backpack, meets the crayons in the boy’s desk and writes, “Guess what? I HAVE A TWIN! How come you never told me?” Duncan wants to see his crayons and “meet their new friends.” A culminating dinner party assembles the crayons and their many guests: a table tennis ball, dog biscuits, a well-loved teddy bear, and more. The premise—personified crayons, away and back again—is well-trammeled territory by now, after over a dozen books and spinoffs, and Jeffers once more delivers his signature cartooning and hand-lettering. Though the pages lack the laugh-out-loud sight gags and side-splittingly funny asides of previous outings, readers—especially fans of the crayons’ previous outings—will enjoy checking in on their pals.
Quirky, familiar fun for series devotees. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 3, 2025
ISBN: 9780593622360
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: March 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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