Saturday is library day, and Dad is bungee-cording a warehouse worth of books to the roof of his already jam-packed car. The first stop, however, is the bakery, as “a day of quiet exploration requires a proper breakfast.”
A dark-haired, pink-skinned boy named Theodore and his “brother,” Oskar the bear, head to the library’s children’s room while Dad escorts himself upstairs to the “nap department.” All is as it should be until a five-headed monster named Seymour, Chuck, Winston, Pat, and Bob arrives, armed with mustard, whipped cream, sprinkles, and hot sauce. It chows down on fiction and nonfiction alike, but despite the condiments, the books still taste yucky to this five-headed picky eater. When the monster slavers in the direction of the kids, Oskar saves the day (and Theodore) with a secret cache of doughnuts he’s stashed under his hat. Tamed by the doughnuts and capable, dark-skinned, storytelling librarian Ms. Watson, this scaly vortex of chaos apologizes for its bad behavior with a hilarious allusion to low blood sugar. The monster acknowledges that books sound better than they taste and repurposes its raison d’être to library maintenance—pink rubber gloves and all. This droll, tongue-in-cheek romp is a snortfest, from cranky librarian Mr. Tasker to blinged-out head Winston. OHora’s signature flat acrylic illustrations strike gold once again.
Lively, detailed, endearing, and bold, the images and text create an unforgettable reading experience for book digesters everywhere. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 19, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-80374-1409
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2016
Categories: CHILDREN'S PARANORMAL & SUPERNATURAL
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How do you deal with an infestation of monsters?
“Winifred Schnitzel was never afraid. / Not of monsters or ghouls or the noises they made.” In fact, young Winifred loves pirates and werewolves and scary movies. This doesn’t stop monsters of all shapes and sizes from trying to scare her, but all of their growling and snarling and menacing is for naught, as Winifred thinks monsters are cute. However, their nightly visits are keeping her awake, so she buys a book (Monsters Beware!) for monster-trapping ideas. The sticky-string trap doesn’t work, and neither does the stinky cheese (they just eat it). She’s so pooped she sleeps through ballet class. Next, she makes every trap in her monster book, and that tuckers her out to such an extent that she’s already snoring when the monsters arrive the next night. She wakes groggily from a dream of kissing puppies and accidentally kisses a monster on the schnozzle—thus discovering every monster’s weakness. Now she dismisses each monster with a kiss and sleeps very well every night. Fredrickson’s jauntily rhyming tale of brave, African-American Winifred is an excellent balm to monster fears. Robertson’s googly-eyed monsters of all shapes and sizes are cartoon-adorable, with just a hint of toothy, clawed ferocity.
A brightly colored monster tale that begs to be animated. Repeat readings required. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4549-1345-0
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Sterling
Review Posted Online: June 16, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2015
Categories: CHILDREN'S PARANORMAL & SUPERNATURAL
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BOOK REVIEW
What can a ghost do when she’s lost her boo?
Little Ghost has a dilemma. Attempting to frighten an unsuspecting human (who presents White), she finds to her dismay that, instead of her signature sound, only “a rush of cold air” escapes her mouth. Mama Ghost sympathizes but fears her child’s “fright nights are done.” Not one to give up easily, Little Ghost launches a search. She encounters her friends Owl, Pigeon, and Rooster, whose sounds are all similar to “Boo”; unable to join Little Ghost in her search for her boo, they offer to lend her their cries. She declines, explaining that, while the calls are perfect for them, they aren’t as scary as hers. She finally heads home, despondent, and meets another pal whose voice resembles her own. In an unexpected concluding twist, Little Ghost locates the friend she most needs, the one who will assuredly help reclaim her boo-tiful sound. This cute but thin rhyming New Zealand import will appeal to ghost fans; they’ll definitely want to comply—loudly—with the final instruction. The jaunty rhyming couplets mostly succeed but are sometimes awkward. Illustrations and white text type pop against saturated turquoise backgrounds. Occasionally, certain words and onomatopoeic sounds, such as the animals’ calls, are capitalized and appear in display type for dramatic effect. Chubby Little Ghost is amorphous, winsome, and wide eyed. Her pals have a bright, folk art–y appearance.
In time for Halloween, a BOO-k about a ghost that young readers will enjoy. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-20215-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2020
Categories: CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S PARANORMAL & SUPERNATURAL
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