A clever, silly, and giggle-out-loud funny adventure.
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When tiny creatures commandeer Sebastian’s room, everything goes haywire in this incredibly clever, beautifully designed picture book from debut author/illustrator Forbes.
“Some-Things are tiny, but you can see them if you look closely,” the story begins, filling the entire page with this single sentence in bubble letters of varying sizes. Several Some-Things live inside Sebastian’s house (only just visible in their bright colors, hiding inside the vent), and they invite every Some-Thing they know to come to a party. The multihued, multitextured creatures soon fill Sebastian’s room, much to Sebastian’s dismay. After two clever, almost-rhyming two-page spreads of the different types and shapes of Some-Things Sebastian encounters, the boy demands they leave his room. But—they protest—not without cake! Although there seems to be a Some-Thing for everything, not a one of them knows how to bake a cake, so they turn to their resident magician, who turns the entire house into a cake. After the Some-Things and all the human neighbors help to eat the house, the Some-Things helpfully build a new, grows-with-water home for Sebastian’s family, leading to one last visual joke in the endpapers. Forbes has designed the book so that the words themselves become part of the pictures, and the collage-textured illustrations, reminiscent of the Pinkalicious series, will have readers giggling. Sebastian’s misadventures are sure to tickle funny bones, and young readers will be looking at their bedroom vents for their own Some-Things.
A clever, silly, and giggle-out-loud funny adventure.Pub Date: Dec. 20, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5255-1894-2
Page Count: 36
Publisher: FriesenPress
Review Posted Online: Feb. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Categories: CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S
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Little Lobo is tasked with nourishing nine famished luchadores.
Following ¡Vamos! Let’s Go to the Market (2019), author/illustrator Raúl the Third and colorist Bay create a second installment in their bilingual series, ¡Vamos!, here following Little Lobo’s journey as he provides sustenance to hungry lucha libre stars. The cheerfully energetic anthropomorphic wolf reprises his role as a bike courier when he receives a message from El Toro and makes his way to el Coliseo, winding and weaving through busy streets. A mouthwatering experience follows as Little Lobo—accompanied by dog Bernabé and rooster pal Kooky Dooky—picks up tacos, diced fruit, freshly made tortillas, flan, and buñuelos from a gathering of food trucks. As in his other work, Raúl the Third imbues his pages with real-world and pop-culture references. An homage to Picasso’s Guernica, recognizable Ciudad Juárez–El Paso landmarks, a Chavo del Ocho inside a barrel, and even a Chapulín Colorado marionette all make the cut. Readers ignorant of these specifics will not feel left out: The busy pages filled with interesting characters and intriguing bilingual signage make readers wish they could jump into the pages and experience the bustling town. Bay’s comic book–style coloring and creative textures provide a deep cultural exposure to the lavish array of Mexican food throughout the spreads. After enjoying the story, readers will keep going back to savor all the minuscule details.
A delectable bilingual experience. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 24, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-328-55704-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Versify/HMH
Review Posted Online: Dec. 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2020
Categories: CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
With the same delightfully irreverent spirit that he brought to his retelling of "Little Red Riding Hood" (1987), Marshall enlivens another favorite. Although completely retold with his usual pungent wit and contemporary touches ("I don't mind if I do," says Goldilocks, as she tries out porridge, chair, and bed), Marshall retains the stories well-loved pattern, including Goldilocks escaping through the window (whereupon Baby Bear inquires, "Who was that little girl?"). The illustrations are fraught with delicious humor and detail: books that are stacked everywhere around the rather cluttered house, including some used in lieu of a missing leg for Papa Bear's chair; comically exaggerated beds—much too high at the head and the foot; and Baby Bear's wonderfully messy room, which certainly brings the story into the 20th century. Like its predecessor, perfect for several uses, from picture-book hour to beginning reading.
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1988
ISBN: 0140563660
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1988
Categories: CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S
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