A riotous, rib-tickling comedy of errors.
In this sequel to There’s a Dinosaur on the 13th Floor (2018), Mr. Snore returns to the Sharemore Hotel for another memorable adventure.
Hired to play his violin at a hotel wedding, Mr. Snore arrives early. When the wedding planner offers him cocoa, Mr. Snore requests no marshmallows because they make him sneeze. Spying a dodo bird gobbling a frosting rose on the wedding cake, Mr. Snore chases it away. While the wedding planner looks for someone to repair the cake, Mr. Snore stands guard, wielding his instrument’s bow like a sword to fend off two beavers and a boa constrictor. Out of an abundance of caution, Mr. Snore moves the cake trolley into a dark closet, but it’s filled with bats. Pushing the trolley away from a pelican and an ostrich, Mr. Snore evades a dinosaur in a tuxedo, locking him in a freezer. Finally, the wedding planner intervenes, and Mr. Snore realizes he’s overreacted and badly misjudged everyone except the offending dodo. Just as all seems sorted out, Mr. Snore sniffs the marshmallow frosting on the wedding cake—with explosive results. Comic, dramatic, fast-paced illustrations reveal well-intentioned Mr. Snore’s cascading mistakes as he heroically thrusts and parries his bow and frantically steers the cake trolley across the pages. Diverse animals dressed in wedding finery border on the absurd, but none match proper Mr. Snore and his hilariously monumental proboscis. Mr. Snore presents White, and the wedding planner has brown skin.
A riotous, rib-tickling comedy of errors. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 21, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5362-0884-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads.
Emma deals with jitters before playing the guitar in the school talent show.
Pop musician Kevin Jonas and his wife, Danielle, put performance at the center of their picture-book debut. When Emma is intimidated by her very talented friends, the encouragement of her younger sister, Bella, and the support of her family help her to shine her own light. The story is straightforward and the moral familiar: Draw strength from your family and within to overcome your fears. Employing the performance-anxiety trope that’s been written many times over, the book plods along predictably—there’s nothing really new or surprising here. Dawson’s full-color digital illustrations center a White-presenting family along with Emma’s three friends of color: Jamila has tanned skin and wears a hijab; Wendy has dark brown skin and Afro puffs; and Luis has medium brown skin. Emma’s expressive eyes and face are the real draw of the artwork—from worry to embarrassment to joy, it’s clear what she’s feeling. A standout double-page spread depicts Emma’s talent show performance, with a rainbow swirl of music erupting from an amp and Emma rocking a glam outfit and electric guitar. Overall, the book reads pretty plainly, buoyed largely by the artwork. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35207-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
Readers will agree that “Melba Doretta Liston was something special.” (Picture book. 4-8)
Bewitched by the rhythms of jazz all around her in Depression-era Kansas City, little Melba Doretta Liston longs to make music in this fictional account of a little-known jazz great.
Picking up the trombone at 7, the little girl teaches herself to play with the support of her Grandpa John and Momma Lucille, performing on the radio at 8 and touring as a pro at just 17. Both text and illustrations make it clear that it’s not all easy for Melba; “The Best Service for WHITES ONLY” reads a sign in a hotel window as the narrative describes a bigotry-plagued tour in the South with Billie Holiday. But joy carries the day, and the story ends on a high note, with Melba “dazzling audiences and making headlines” around the world. Russell-Brown’s debut text has an innate musicality, mixing judicious use of onomatopoeia with often sonorous prose. Morrison’s sinuous, exaggerated lines are the perfect match for Melba’s story; she puts her entire body into her playing, the exaggerated arch of her back and thrust of her shoulders mirroring the curves of her instrument. In one thrilling spread, the evening gown–clad instrumentalist stands over the male musicians, her slide crossing the gutter while the back bow disappears off the page to the left. An impressive discography complements a two-page afterword and a thorough bibliography.
Readers will agree that “Melba Doretta Liston was something special.” (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: July 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-60060-898-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Lee & Low Books
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
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