A cozy celebration brimming with traditions and sisterly love.
Two siblings eagerly prepare for the Korean Lunar New Year.
Madeleine excitedly wakes her younger sister, Eloise. “It’s Seollal! We have to get ready for the Lunar New Year party!” she exclaims. Madeleine’s already getting out their garments as Eloise is still reluctantly stirring. After the girls don their hanboks, they go downstairs to see that Mom has prepared the charae-sang, the ceremonial table covered with food offerings to the ancestors. They hurry to make mandoo, or dumplings, and join their relatives for yutnori, a game where players must strategically throw marked sticks. Mom calls the sisters for sebae, and the girls bow in gratitude to their elders. A warm sibling dynamic is apparent as the playful narrative unfolds, with bossy but loving Madeleine explaining various elements of the holiday to Eloise (and readers). Yum’s deftly blended colored pencil illustrations emphasize the joy of the celebrations; her knack for capturing children’s expressions is especially evident on a spread depicting Eloise intently attempting to create the perfect mandoo. Some drama ensues as Madeleine realizes she’s forgotten to compose a poem to read to her visiting family (as she does each year), but with Eloise’s gentle encouragement, Madeleine writes and recites her verse. Instructions for a craft project and a recipe for mandoo follow, encouraging readers to further explore the holiday.
A cozy celebration brimming with traditions and sisterly love. (glossary) (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Dec. 3, 2024
ISBN: 9780593567302
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2024
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
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BOOK REVIEW
These reindeer games are a bit tired but, given the series’ popularity, should have a large, ready-made audience.
The How to Catch A… crew try for Comet.
Having already failed to nab a Halloween witch, the Easter Bunny, a turkey, a leprechaun, the Tooth Fairy, and over a dozen other iconic trophies in previous episodes of this bestselling series, one would think the racially diverse gaggle of children in Elkerton’s moonlit, wintry scenes would be flagging…but no, here they lay out snares ranging from a loop of garland to an igloo baited with reindeer moss to an enticing candy cane maze, all in hopes of snagging one of Santa’s reindeer while he’s busy delivering presents. Infused with pop culture–based Christmas cheer (“Now I’ve already seen the shelf with the elf”), Comet prances past the traps until it’s time to gather up the kids, most of whom look terrified, for a group snapshot with the other reindeer and then climb back into harness: “This was a great stop but a few million to go / Christmas Eve must continue with style!” Though festive, the verse feels trite and unlikely to entice youngsters. A sprinkling of “True Facts About Reindeer” (“They live in the tundra, where they have friends like the arctic bunny”) wrap up this celebration of the predatory spirit. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
These reindeer games are a bit tired but, given the series’ popularity, should have a large, ready-made audience. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2022
ISBN: 9781728276137
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2022
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