While somewhat pedestrian fare, this easy-to-read series installment goes down easy enough.
A touch of magic changes boring cookies into something “special” in this early chapter book about cooking and following one’s own heart.
Heidi Heckelbeck excitedly enters her elementary-school cookie contest, wanting to share her family’s Chocolate Chunk Cookies with her friends. Super-competitive Melanie Maplethorpe mocks her recipe, saying it’s boring. Even when Heidi’s best friend Lucy gives her excellent advice—“Stick with what you do best and you’ll come out on top”—Heidi is unconvinced. She consults her hidden Book of Spells, gathers her ingredients, adds a special dash and waits for the spell to work. While the cookies look beautiful, the smell and taste are surprising—and not in a good way. When Lucy’s plain cookie wins the competition, Heidi learns that Lucy’s original advice was solid. With black line drawings reminiscent of the Jetsons on each page, this slim volume will speak to young readers who have been listening in on television cooking shows with their families. While the plot about magic and spells feels strangely out of place, the rest of this basic school and family story is easy to follow. A recipe for the winning cookies would have been a natural extension for hungry readers.
While somewhat pedestrian fare, this easy-to-read series installment goes down easy enough. (Fiction. 5-8)Pub Date: May 8, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4424-4166-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 28, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Charming and utterly delightful.
The doggie duo make a welcome return.
In this second entry in the Doggo and Pupper early-reader series, the canine pals’ distinctive personalities come more fully to the fore, and readers discover how close they truly are. Worrywart Pupper may be afraid of giant squirrels, but he longs to be a hero like Wonder Dog, whose exploits he marvels at on TV. He also has real drumming talent, nurtured by Doggo. Doggo is fully realized as a music-loving, tenderhearted, reassuring elder statesman who always has Pupper’s back. In this outing, the pair also enjoy watching the babies in a family of neighboring nesting birds learn to fly. The dog pals’ mutual interest in music, a concert the friends plan to attend in the local park, and a helpless fledgling who hasn’t quite found its wings and requires rescuing—all these plot points culminate in a heartwarming ending that delivers a wonderful message about patience, kindness, and selflessness. Doggo and Pupper may not actually save the world here, but they do offer up a lovely reading experience for emergent readers through simple, dialogue-laden prose that beginning readers should be able to master readily. As in the first series title, the colorful collage and digital illustrations are energetic and endearing. “Pupper’s Guide to Being a Hero,” a 10-step list with suggestions such as “Be helpful” and “Share what you have,” concludes the book. Seen only briefly, the dogs’ owners appear to be light-skinned.
Charming and utterly delightful. (Chapter book. 5-8)Pub Date: March 22, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-62100-9
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2022
Amusing but a little off tempo.
It’s important to hit all the right notes.
A tan-skinned musical composer with puffy black hair is busy at work on his next musical masterpiece when Half Note, a music symbol denoting two beats, feels unappreciated. Half Note is jealous of the more commonly used Quarter Note (one beat) and Eighth Note. Although the other musical symbols attempt to calm and comfort Half Note, she decides to run away. The next day, Composer needs Half Note and panics when he realizes that she’s gone. The other notes and musical symbols try to find her, but it’s only when they try to play her favorite song, “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” without her—with terrible results—that she comes running back. The story’s humor—which is largely based on “dad joke” puns—is completely dependent on readers’ musical knowledge. The artwork, a mix of acrylic and colored pencil, attempts to add some allegrezza to the piece, and while it’s not unsuccessful, it’s facing an uphill battle. Music teachers and musically minded caregivers may find some value in this story, but it will likely be too specialized for general readers. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Amusing but a little off tempo. (glossary) (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: March 14, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-64567-631-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Page Street
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2023
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
