A warmhearted wintry tale.
Excitement builds as magical pups Hocus and Pocus anticipate the Winter Solstice Party—and the prospect of snow.
Jinx, the pups’ witchy caregiver, is so busy with party prep that the pair, missing her, seek a way to recapture her attention. They resolve to be “extra helpful” as the whole community—witches, warlocks, and nonmagical people alike—pitches in. The celebration is splendid, but it fails to snow, a sine qua non for a fun time. Nimbus, the wish-granting sorcerer (who uses they/them pronouns), might be able to help, but they explain that the pups will need to concentrate all their desires onto just a single wish. After Hocus reluctantly casts aside thoughts of bat jerky, Nimbus rewards them with a charmed snow globe, and the canines joyfully spread the snow until the perpetually panicky Pocus accidentally knocks the globe over. Soon there’s far too much snow. Jinx comes to the rescue, casting a circle of protection and lighting magical candles to ward off the darkness. Everything culminates in a moment of wonder that shows everyone that sometimes the best surprises are the most unexpected. Lots of action, lots of feelings, and lots of bright art speed the eight chapters along as if on the magical skates that save the day. The determined young pups are again sure to please early chapter-book readers. Jinx is brown-skinned with pinkish-purple hair, while other human characters vary in skin tone; the cast’s pronouns are provided in an opening gallery.
A warmhearted wintry tale. (Chapter book. 5-8)Pub Date: Feb. 3, 2026
ISBN: 9781536224948
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: yesterday
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Only for dedicated fans of the series.
When a kid gets the part of the ninja master in the school play, it finally seems to be the right time to tackle the closet monster.
“I spot my monster right away. / He’s practicing his ROAR. / He almost scares me half to death, / but I won’t be scared anymore!” The monster is a large, fluffy poison-green beast with blue hands and feet and face and a fluffy blue-and-green–striped tail. The kid employs a “bag of tricks” to try to catch the monster: in it are a giant wind-up shark, two cans of silly string, and an elaborate cage-and-robot trap. This last works, but with an unexpected result: the monster looks sad. Turns out he was only scaring the boy to wake him up so they could be friends. The monster greets the boy in the usual monster way: he “rips a massive FART!!” that smells like strawberries and lime, and then they go to the monster’s house to meet his parents and play. The final two spreads show the duo getting ready for bed, which is a rather anticlimactic end to what has otherwise been a rambunctious tale. Elkerton’s bright illustrations have a TV-cartoon aesthetic, and his playful beast is never scary. The narrator is depicted with black eyes and hair and pale skin. Wallace’s limping verses are uninspired at best, and the scansion and meter are frequently off.
Only for dedicated fans of the series. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-4894-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Perfect for those looking for a scary Halloween tale that won’t leave them with more fears than they started with. Pair with...
Reynolds and Brown have crafted a Halloween tale that balances a really spooky premise with the hilarity that accompanies any mention of underwear.
Jasper Rabbit needs new underwear. Plain White satisfies him until he spies them: “Creepy underwear! So creepy! So comfy! They were glorious.” The underwear of his dreams is a pair of radioactive-green briefs with a Frankenstein face on the front, the green color standing out all the more due to Brown’s choice to do the entire book in grayscale save for the underwear’s glowing green…and glow they do, as Jasper soon discovers. Despite his “I’m a big rabbit” assertion, that glow creeps him out, so he stuffs them in the hamper and dons Plain White. In the morning, though, he’s wearing green! He goes to increasing lengths to get rid of the glowing menace, but they don’t stay gone. It’s only when Jasper finally admits to himself that maybe he’s not such a big rabbit after all that he thinks of a clever solution to his fear of the dark. Brown’s illustrations keep the backgrounds and details simple so readers focus on Jasper’s every emotion, writ large on his expressive face. And careful observers will note that the underwear’s expression also changes, adding a bit more creep to the tale.
Perfect for those looking for a scary Halloween tale that won’t leave them with more fears than they started with. Pair with Dr. Seuss’ tale of animate, empty pants. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Aug. 22, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0298-0
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
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