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LIZZY’S DO’S AND DON’TS

Name: LIZZY’S DO’S AND DON’TS
Author: Jessica Harper
ISBN: 0-06-623860-9

by Jessica Harper & illustrated by Lindsay Harper duPont ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2002

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With the same panache of their previous collaborations (Nora’s Room, 2001, etc.), the Harper sisters create a spunky tale about the woes and challenges of growing up. Harper tackles a subject familiar to every household engaged in child-rearing—the frequent occurrence of the word “don’t.” A child lists the deluge of restrictions she encounters in the course of daily life. From prohibitions about climbing bee-infested trees to sequestering reptiles in footwear, young Lizzy has had it with the that dreadful “don’t.” In retaliation, she provides her mother with her own list of “don’ts.” Lizzy’s proclamation is a blend of poignant and humorous dictums, including a plea to stay off the telephone a little more and a ban on a dreaded yellow dress. “Don’t always say my hair’s a mess. / Don’t say no when you could say yes. / Don’t, don’t, don’t!” Exhausted by their diatribe, the pair comes up with a list of things they wish each other would do. With keen insight and a comic touch, Harper spearheads the elemental truth of parenting; amid the squabbles and strife is the steadfast love a parent and child share. DuPont’s bold illustrations perfectly capture the energy of the tale. A blend of comic-strip layouts alternated with full-page spreads reflects the rhythms of the tale. With wry observations couched in perky rhymes and a lively tempo, Harper’s light-hearted tale delivers a sincere reminder to parents and children to treasure each other. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: April 1, 2002

ISBN: 0-06-623860-9

Page Count: 40

Publisher: HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2002

Categories:

CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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HANSEL AND GRETEL

by Stephen King ; illustrated by Maurice Sendak ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 2, 2025

Menacing and most likely to appeal to established fans of its co-creators.

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Existing artwork from an artistic giant inspires a fairy-tale reimagination by a master of the horror genre.

In King’s interpretation of a classic Brothers Grimm story, which accompanies set and costume designs that the late Sendak created for a 1997 production of Engelbert Humperdinck’s opera, siblings Hansel and Gretel survive abandonment in the woods and an evil witch’s plot to gobble them up before finding their “happily ever after” alongside their father. Prose with the reassuring cadence of an old-timey tale, paired with Sendak’s instantly recognizable artwork, will lull readers before capitalizing on these creators’ knack for injecting darkness into seemingly safe spaces. Gaping faces loom in crevices of rocks and trees, and a gloomy palette of muted greens and ocher amplify the story’s foreboding tone, while King never sugarcoats the peach-skinned children’s peril. Branches with “clutching fingers” hide “the awful enchanted house” of a “child-stealing witch,” all portrayed in an eclectic mix of spot and full-bleed images. Featuring insults that might strike some as harsh (“idiot,” “fool”), the lengthy, dense text may try young readers’ patience, and the often overwhelmingly ominous mood feels more pitched to adults—particularly those familiar with King and Sendak—but an introduction acknowledges grandparents as a likely audience, and nostalgia may prompt leniency over an occasional disconnect between words and art.

Menacing and most likely to appeal to established fans of its co-creators. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 2, 2025

ISBN: 9780062644695

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: Aug. 15, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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BECAUSE YOUR DADDY LOVES YOU

by Andrew Clements & illustrated by R.W. Alley ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 23, 2005

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Give this child’s-eye view of a day at the beach with an attentive father high marks for coziness: “When your ball blows across the sand and into the ocean and starts to drift away, your daddy could say, Didn’t I tell you not to play too close to the waves? But he doesn’t. He wades out into the cold water. And he brings your ball back to the beach and plays roll and catch with you.” Alley depicts a moppet and her relaxed-looking dad (to all appearances a single parent) in informally drawn beach and domestic settings: playing together, snuggling up on the sofa and finally hugging each other goodnight. The third-person voice is a bit distancing, but it makes the togetherness less treacly, and Dad’s mix of love and competence is less insulting, to parents and children both, than Douglas Wood’s What Dads Can’t Do (2000), illus by Doug Cushman. (Picture book. 5-7)