A lighthearted tale of mayhem and imagination.
In author/illustrator Jatkar’s picture book, a youngster imagines himself in a mythical confrontation when striving to unblock a toilet.
While sitting on the potty, the young, unnamed protagonist—an Indian boy portrayed with brown skin—reads about how the king of deities, Indra, waged a battle against the demon serpent Ahi to free the world’s water. When the prideful boy declares himself too mighty for Ahi to challenge, the house’s water supply cuts out. The narrator traces the problem to a toilet blockage, and he believes it’s the work of the demon serpent. He imagines taking up Indra’s magical weapon, Vajra (actually a toilet plunger) to renew the epic conflict. Jatkar’s first-person narration captures the immediacy of oral storytelling and the excitability of a middle-grade fantasist. The shaky, faux handwritten typeface may prove challenging for some readers—especially given the additional sound effects and Ahi’s toilet noises. Jatkar’s full-color cartoon illustrations mostly favor clear action scenes set against white backdrops, but they’re most effective when they include other elements (such as a shower cubicle or mirror). Adults may question the protagonist’s unblocking technique, but this is by design; the boy’s triumph comes through Pyrrhic toilet destruction: “Indra defeated Ahi and became a hero. All I got was an epic timeout.” Young readers will likely revel in the chaos.
A lighthearted tale of mayhem and imagination.Pub Date: Nov. 15, 2024
ISBN: 9798987405970
Page Count: 38
Publisher: Monkeymantra
Review Posted Online: March 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant.
Robot Roz undertakes an unusual ocean journey to save her adopted island home in this third series entry.
When a poison tide flowing across the ocean threatens their island, Roz works with the resident creatures to ensure that they will have clean water, but the destruction of vegetation and crowding of habitats jeopardize everyone’s survival. Brown’s tale of environmental depredation and turmoil is by turns poignant, graceful, endearing, and inspiring, with his (mostly) gentle robot protagonist at its heart. Though Roz is different from the creatures she lives with or encounters—including her son, Brightbill the goose, and his new mate, Glimmerwing—she makes connections through her versatile communication abilities and her desire to understand and help others. When Roz accidentally discovers that the replacement body given to her by Dr. Molovo is waterproof, she sets out to seek help and discovers the human-engineered source of the toxic tide. Brown’s rich descriptions of undersea landscapes, entertaining conversations between Roz and wild creatures, and concise yet powerful explanations of the effect of the poison tide on the ecology of the island are superb. Simple, spare illustrations offer just enough glimpses of Roz and her surroundings to spark the imagination. The climactic confrontation pits oceangoing mammals, seabirds, fish, and even zooplankton against hardware and technology in a nicely choreographed battle. But it is Roz’s heroism and peacemaking that save the day.
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9780316669412
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
A wandering effort, happy but pointless.
The perfect book for kids who love dragons and mild tacos.
Rubin’s story starts with an incantatory edge: “Hey, kid! Did you know that dragons love tacos? They love beef tacos and chicken tacos. They love really big gigantic tacos and tiny little baby tacos as well.” The playing field is set: dragons, tacos. As a pairing, they are fairly silly, and when the kicker comes in—that dragons hate spicy salsa, which ignites their inner fireworks—the silliness is sillier still. Second nature, after all, is for dragons to blow flames out their noses. So when the kid throws a taco party for the dragons, it seems a weak device that the clearly labeled “totally mild” salsa comes with spicy jalapenos in the fine print, prompting the dragons to burn down the house, resulting in a barn-raising at which more tacos are served. Harmless, but if there is a parable hidden in the dragon-taco tale, it is hidden in the unlit deep, and as a measure of lunacy, bridled or unbridled, it doesn’t make the leap into the outer reaches of imagination. Salmieri’s artwork is fitting, with a crabbed, ethereal line work reminiscent of Peter Sís, but the story does not offer it enough range.
A wandering effort, happy but pointless. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 14, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3680-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: March 27, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2012
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