A hauntingly funny tale of family love.
With a bit of perspective, a ghost learns to accept a baby sibling.
Big Boo, who narrates, enjoys a blissful few early months with Little Boo, “a sweet and adorable baby.” Things are easy enough when Little Boo is too small to do much of anything; Little Boo listens as Big Boo talks, and Big Boo ferries the younger spirit around. Then comes the day when Little Boo learns to crawl, then float, and, at last, talk. Little Boo becomes an annoying, constant presence whose declarations of love are trying. Big Boo’s werewolf friend Howl, on the other hand, has a sibling who seems enviably calm (and who shares Big Boo’s love of literature). Howl points out that “Little Howl is a little monster,” but Big Boo nevertheless accepts a sibling trade. Oops…what a mistake! Maybe Little Boo isn’t such a trial after all? The cute and relatable plot is only half the attraction. Readers will pore over countless details in the Boo household: the alligator chairs and dining table, Little Boo’s owl highchair and hollow-pumpkin bassinet, the snake chandelier, the Venus fly trap desk lamp, the bat bathmat, and the candy corn–chomping squirrels rapturously hailed by Little Boo as “Kitteez!!!” Graphic novel–esque panels and speech bubbles, as well as simple but frenzied linework, give Frost plenty of scope for clever comic effects to fuel rereading.
A hauntingly funny tale of family love. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: July 15, 2025
ISBN: 9780063267831
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned.
All the reasons why a daughter needs a mother.
Each spread features an adorable cartoon animal parent-child pair on the recto opposite a rhyming verse: “I’ll always support you in giving your all / in every endeavor, the big and the small, / and be there to catch you in case you should fall. / I hope you believe this is true.” A virtually identical book, Why a Daughter Needs a Dad, publishes simultaneously. Both address standing up for yourself and your values, laughing to ease troubles, being thankful, valuing friendship, persevering and dreaming big, being truthful, thinking through decisions, and being open to differences, among other topics. Though the sentiments/life lessons here and in the companion title are heartfelt and important, there are much better ways to deliver them. These books are likely to go right over children’s heads and developmental levels (especially with the rather advanced vocabulary); their parents are the more likely audience, and for them, the books provide some coaching in what kids need to hear. The two books are largely interchangeable, especially since there are so few references to mom or dad, but one spread in each book reverts to stereotype: Dad balances the two-wheeler, and mom helps with clothing and hair styles. Since the books are separate, it aids in customization for many families.
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned. (Picture book. 4-8, adult)Pub Date: May 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4926-6781-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.
A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.
Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780593702901
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
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