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MONSTERS ON THE RUN

From the Yeti Files series , Vol. 2

Monster and dino lovers alike will enjoy the foolishness.

Yeti Blizz and his cryptid cronies are back for more adventure.

After finding his sasquatch cousin Brian, in Meet the Bigfeet (2014), Blizz and his friends are kicking back and playing games. However, their cryptid buddy Vanessa—Nessie—is feeling lonely, and she's thinking about leaving the loch. Blizz knows that might endanger her. Since Jack Saturday the unicorn isn't answering Blizz's calls, Blizz and friends head to Loch Ness on their bikes, and Nessie demonstrates her loneliness—all the denizens of the loch have companions but her. Elf Alex discovers she's a plesiosaur, and the friends decide to seek the help of Tobin Clover, a leprechaun. Tobin takes them back in time with the magic of the rainbow, but the friends are separated in a hasty escape from a T. Rex. Frank the arctic fox makes a dino friend, Nessie and Blizz meet more plesiosaurs, imp Gunthar and Alex run afoul of a triceratops...and Nessie decides she likes the present better. On their return, Tobin has a great surprise for Nessie, and the cryptids receive a call for help from the merfolk! Sherry's second yeti tale imparts a bit of dino info in its labeled black-and-white illustrations, which mix pages with a sentence or two of text with comic-style panels. The frenetic adventure’s as much fun as it is nonsensical. Be warned: read the first adventure before tackling this one, as there are no character introductions and no background info on cryptozoological society.

Monster and dino lovers alike will enjoy the foolishness. (Graphic/fantasy hybrid. 5-9)

Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-545-55619-4

Page Count: 128

Publisher: Scholastic

Review Posted Online: May 11, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2015

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THE COOL BEAN MAKES A SPLASH

From the I Can Read! series

Another quirky take on the series theme that it’s cool to be kind.

The cool beans again step up to do a timorous fellow legume a fava…this time at the pool.

Will a rash decision to tackle the multistory super-slide lead to another embarrassing watery fail for our shy protagonist? Nope, for up the stairs right behind comes a trio of cool beans, each a different type and color, all clad in nothing but dark shades. They make an offer: “It’s not as scary if you go with friends!” As the knobby nerd explains once the thrilling ride down is done, “They all realized that I just needed some encouragement and support.” Just to make sure that both cool and uncool readers get the message, the narrator lets us know that “there are plenty of kind folks who have my back. They’re always there when I need them.” The beany bonhomie doesn’t end at the bottom of the slide, with all gliding down to the shallow end of the pool (“3 INCHES. NO DIVING”) for a splashy finale. This latest early reader starring characters from John and Oswald’s immensely popular Food Group series will be a hit with fans. Fun accessories, such as a bean who rocks pink cat-eye frames, add some pizzazz to the chromatically and somatotypically varied cast.

Another quirky take on the series theme that it’s cool to be kind. (Easy reader. 5-7)

Pub Date: March 26, 2024

ISBN: 9780063329560

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024

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LITTLE DAYMOND LEARNS TO EARN

It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.

How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!

John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)

Pub Date: March 21, 2023

ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Random House

Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023

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