This gentle, lightly magical story leans on the comfort of familiarity over novelty.
This first installment in a Heidi Heckelbeck series spinoff stars Heidi’s younger brother.
Henry Heckelbeck’s perfectly fine with being an ordinary person, unlike his female witch relatives. A kid focused on saving time, Henry’s excited about being prepared for another year at school. For their first assignment, Henry and his classmates must make All About Me bags containing three items that reveal things about them. While trying to get his remote-controlled toy dragon off the shelf to complete his bag, Henry stumbles upon a mysterious old book containing both a medal and a personal dragon spell. When putting on the medal and chanting the spell unexpectedly brings his toy dragon to life, Henry must catch his dragon and keep the magical mischief under wraps. A secondary character named Mackenzie “Max” Maplethorpe (in case readers miss it, Henry makes the connection between Max and Heidi’s classmate Melanie Maplethorpe) is a particularly observant threat to Henry’s new, magical secret. Although the broad strokes of setup and plotline are beyond familiar, Henry’s character—high energy and believably quirky—makes up for a lot. Aside from the story, the familiar format’s large print with easy words and frequent picture breaks results in an unintimidating book for emergent independent readers. The illustrations—black line art on white page—generally lack racial cues, though on the cover Henry is depicted with light skin.
This gentle, lightly magical story leans on the comfort of familiarity over novelty. (Fantasy. 5-9)Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5344-6104-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Another modern classic from one of our finest illustrators.
The classic fairy tale is reimagined as a story of friendship, family, and inner strength.
Melody, the youngest princess in the realm of the merfolk, is curious about the world above the ocean surface. She collects objects from sunken ships and asks questions no one will answer. One day, she follows her guardian turtle to the surface and sees a human girl on shore, who waves to her. Melody wants a friend, and when the Sea Witch, a monstrous red creature, offers her legs in exchange for her beautiful voice, she is fairly easily led astray despite the long-standing warnings of the merfolk about the Sea Witch. Melody makes it to shore and makes a fast and deep friendship with Zion, but when she discovers that her voice has empowered the Sea Witch to attack the Sea King’s realm, she must return, regain her power, and restore order for her family and her merpeople. The replacement of the original love story with a friendship story is a warm and welcome touch for children, and Melody’s agency throughout makes her an admirable heroine even if her quickness to leave her family seems rash. Pinkney’s lush watercolor scenes draw readers in with rich detail and vibrant hues. The merfolk and Zion are brown-skinned with curls, and the meticulous rendering of the merfolks’ fins and shells brings the mythical creatures within reach of realistic imagination.
Another modern classic from one of our finest illustrators. (author's note) (Picturebook. 5-9)Pub Date: Nov. 3, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-316-44031-8
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2020
This odd story is not for every reader, but those who enjoy it may find a friend for life
A determined mother embarks on a surreal adventure.
Kraegel’s format-defying tale is an unexpected story of love, determination, and parenting. Mother Shrew’s son, Hugo, is taken ill on the last day of January with a rare illness that makes him lethargic, with hot feet and a cold head. From “Dr. Ponteluma’s Book of Medical Inquiry and Physiological Know-How,” Mother Shrew learns that the only cure for this odd, unnamed illness is a spoonful of honey from the moon. Ferociously determined to cure Hugo, she sets out to save her son. In each new chapter, Mother Shrew faces a new obstacle or not-too-scary adversary as she braves the moon’s unusual environment—its verdant fields and lush forests make a stark contrast to the wintry landscape Mother Shrew has left behind—and its madcap inhabitants. Divided into seven heavily illustrated chapters, the story is one that will captivate contemplative and creative young readers. Caregivers may find this to be their next weeklong bedtime story and one that fanciful children will want to hear again and again. Kraegel’s ink-and-watercolor illustrations are reminiscent of Sergio Ruzzier’s but a bit grittier and with a darker color scheme. The surreal landscapes are appropriately unsettling, but a bright color palette keeps them from overwhelming readers.
This odd story is not for every reader, but those who enjoy it may find a friend for life . (Fantasy. 5-8)Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-7636-8169-2
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2019
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