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MONSTERS ARE AFRAID OF THE MOON

Strongly drawn, vividly colored figures with large, expressive eyes light up this simple tale of a child who discovers that her solution to a personal problem has wider consequences. When Marie clips the moon from the sky to repel the monsters that bother her at night, the hospitals begin to fill with cats that have injured themselves in the dark, and rats run amok. But as monsters, it turns out, are afraid of cats too, the King of the Cats proposes a trade, and peace is soon restored. Marie is portrayed as a child who likes to pick cherries, play with her kitty, read funny stories and draw pictures of bunnies; this tale, the first English version of an early story from the author of the Persepolis graphic novels, will irresistibly draw an audience of the same ilk. (Picture book. 5-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2006

ISBN: 1-58234-744-1

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2006

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DIARY OF A SPIDER

The wriggly narrator of Diary of a Worm (2003) puts in occasional appearances, but it’s his arachnid buddy who takes center stage here, with terse, tongue-in-cheek comments on his likes (his close friend Fly, Charlotte’s Web), his dislikes (vacuums, people with big feet), nervous encounters with a huge Daddy Longlegs, his extended family—which includes a Grandpa more than willing to share hard-won wisdom (The secret to a long, happy life: “Never fall asleep in a shoe.”)—and mishaps both at spider school and on the human playground. Bliss endows his garden-dwellers with faces and the odd hat or other accessory, and creates cozy webs or burrows colorfully decorated with corks, scraps, plastic toys and other human detritus. Spider closes with the notion that we could all get along, “just like me and Fly,” if we but got to know one another. Once again, brilliantly hilarious. (Picture book. 6-8)

Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2005

ISBN: 0-06-000153-4

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Joanna Cotler/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2005

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THE TRUTH ABOUT THE COUCH

Funny and thought provoking.

The hidden history of one of the world’s most popular pieces of furniture.

An anthropomorphized fox in a purple jacket and green pants stands on a stage, showcasing various kinds of sofas and what they’re used for: eating, sleeping, dance parties, and sliding down pillows. Just as the fox is about to provide a demonstration of that last activity, complete with a drawing, an opossum in a gray pinstriped suit emerges: “You can’t show that to children! Someone could break their neck!” Using a tape dispenser–like machine, the opossum covers up the offending image with a black censor bar. The fox continues to expose “truths” about couches: Some of them grow on farms (“Where do you think we got the term couch potato?”); they have an insatiable hunger, which leads to objects disappearing among the cushions; and some are actually aliens in disguise. The opossum is skeptical, but when a chaotic parade of couches enter the scene to prove the fox right, the opossum is forced to reconsider. This is a hilarious send-up of conspiracy theories and adults’ attempts to shelter children from the real world. Depicting elegantly attired creatures, Liniers’ muted artwork contrasts humorously with the surreal scenarios depicted. The dialogue between the fox and opossum is entertaining, but grown-ups might want to pre-read before read-alouds to avoid tripping over some phrasing (e.g., “secret elite couch enforcement squadron”).

Funny and thought provoking. (Picture book. 5-8)

Pub Date: April 23, 2024

ISBN: 9780593619131

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Putnam

Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024

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