It is Baby Bear’s birthday, and Mr. Wolf (Mr. Wolf and the Pancakes, 2000) and Grandma are preparing a fine birthday party. But they know that the Three Bears are proud eaters, so they have a lot of work to do. In this new spin on classic characters, the Wolves throw together Huff Puff Cakes and stacks of sandwiches and a great big birthday cake, and then toil like demons to spiff up the house. And then who should barge through the door along with the guests of honor, but Goldilocks, the most horrific creature the woods has to offer. “ ‘What have you brought her for?’ whispered Mr. Wolf.” “There was nothing we could do,” answers Daddy Bear, noting that Goldilocks said she was invited, the little fibber. She proceeds to ruin the party, incongruously and pleasingly caught in Fearnley’s delicate and oh-so-amusing watercolors: A bad girl making mischief, snatching at all the food, ruining the games. Then Grandma Wolf suggests a game of hide-and-seek, asking that nobody go into the kitchen, which is of course directly where Goldilocks heads—and disappears. Not long thereafter, Grandma emerges with a great-looking pie: “You never know what you’ll find in the kitchen,” she says. Predictable as it turns the old standard on its head, nonetheless Goldilocks is so loathsome, and likely so recognizable, that when she gets her just deserts—offstage left, out of reader’s sight—it feels like all is right in the world. Recipes include Baby Bear’s Birthday Cake, Mommy Bear’s Sandwiches, as well as Grandma’s Golden Pie (filling of choice). If Mr. Wolf isn’t careful, he’s going to run out of fairytale characters to eat. (Picture book. 3-7)
Pub Date: April 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-15-216423-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2002
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.
A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.
Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
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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