Readers may stage their own pet shows, but here’s hoping they are more affirmative of their own pets than Grimelda is.
Grimelda, of the still-untidy room (Grimelda the Very Messy Witch, 2016), is back, this time trying to win the prize at the pet show with her cat, Wizzlewarts.
But is he spooktacular enough to win? Grimelda has her doubts, especially after Hildegard rides by on Blaze, her fire-breathing dragon. A spell might do the trick, but as before, her spell book is lost in the mess. What to do? Well, find a better pet, of course. But those turn out to be in short supply at the general store, and the monster eel she finds in the swamp may be a bit too spooktacular. But back at home, Wizzlewarts can’t be counted out yet. “He’d found her spell book! And what’s more, / he’d flipped to page three hundred four— / The Perfect Spell to Make a Cat / Spooktacular in Seconds Flat!” At the pet show, the spell, smudged with eye-scream fudge, doesn’t turn out quite as Grimelda had intended, but she and Wizzlewarts pull together for the ultimate win…and a new pet of a different sort. Ross’ digital illustrations are filled with fascinating details that will have readers poring over the pages, though diversity is in short supply (Grimelda and Hildegard both appear to be white). Murray never addresses Grimelda’s original lack of faith in Wizzlewarts, who surely must feel inadequate and unloved.
Readers may stage their own pet shows, but here’s hoping they are more affirmative of their own pets than Grimelda is. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: July 25, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-06-226449-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
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
BOOK REVIEW
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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
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