A solemn holiday is given an appealing, entertaining treatment well suited to young kids.
On the Day of Atonement, the Big Bad Wolf reflects.
It’s Yom Kippur, and the Big Bad Wolf is preparing to be bad. Things start changing at the synagogue, where he concedes a hug feels nice and almost sings along with the others. Hearing the rabbi’s sermon, Wolf wonders if he can become “better and brighter.” After services, Wolf encounters familiar story characters: a red-hooded girl and her grandmother, whom he treats kindly, and a porcine trio to whom he gives sensible home-building advice. What’s happened? Wolf’s worst instincts repeatedly try to surface, but they’re defeated by his much-improved nature, and it becomes clear that the formerly Big Bad Wolf has evolved into a much nicer lupine. That evening, after the holiday is over, the Big Good Wolf is rewarded by his grateful newfound friends. This sweet, humorous tale conveys the meaning of this important Jewish holiday in a way that’s understandable for children. Its premise proves it’s easy to err on the side of good; each of us has kindness within, and it’s satisfying to let it show. The fractured-fairy-tale motif will engage young readers and also makes familiar literary sense, as the Big Bad Wolf, naturally, is the antagonist of both “Little Red Riding Hood” and “The Three Little Pigs.” The illustrations are comical and dynamic; Wolf and all other animal characters are riotously expressive. Bespectacled Little Red and Granny are pale-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A solemn holiday is given an appealing, entertaining treatment well suited to young kids. (author’s note about Yom Kippur) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781681156064
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Apples & Honey Press
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2023
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Not enough tricks to make this a treat.
Another holiday title (How To Catch the Easter Bunny by Adam Wallace, illustrated by Elkerton, 2017) sticks to the popular series’ formula.
Rhyming four-line verses describe seven intrepid trick-or-treaters’ efforts to capture the witch haunting their Halloween. Rhyming roadblocks with toolbox is an acceptable stretch, but too often too many words or syllables in the lines throw off the cadence. Children familiar with earlier titles will recognize the traps set by the costume-clad kids—a pulley and box snare, a “Tunnel of Tricks.” Eventually they accept her invitation to “floss, bump, and boogie,” concluding “the dance party had hit the finale at last, / each dancing monster started to cheer! / There’s no doubt about it, we have to admit: / This witch threw the party of the year!” The kids are diverse, and their costumes are fanciful rather than scary—a unicorn, a dragon, a scarecrow, a red-haired child in a lab coat and bow tie, a wizard, and two space creatures. The monsters, goblins, ghosts, and jack-o'-lanterns, backgrounded by a turquoise and purple night sky, are sufficiently eerie. Still, there isn’t enough originality here to entice any but the most ardent fans of Halloween or the series. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Not enough tricks to make this a treat. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-72821-035-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: May 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2022
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