  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 02/01/2017 The two furry friends from You Are (Not) Small (2014) and That’s (Not) Mine (2015) here contemplate their fears while awaiting a roller coaster ride. They admit their dread of snakes, hairy spiders, hot lava, fried ants, and aliens, and are alarmed to discover that their seatmate on the Loop of Doom is a serpent. The ride is turbulent and frightening as expected, but it’s also exhilarating, and all three readily agree to do it again. Kang’s succinct text sticks to story basics (“‘Like what?’ ‘Like . . . snakes!’ ‘Snakes?’ ‘Yes. They are scary!’”), allowing Weyant’s ink-and-watercolor illustrations to add context and nuance to the tale. The cartoon-style artwork is cheerful and uncluttered, making good use of white space, easy-to-read facial expressions, and motion lines. Here the characters cooperate with each other to solve their problem, rather than resorting to quibbling or reverse psychology as they did earlier. Perfect for toddler story hours or one-on-one sharing, this will also be popular with emergent readers. - Copyright 2017 Booklist. School Library Journal - 03/01/2017 PreS-Gr 1—Two unnamed bearlike creatures, a small purple one and a larger brown one, discuss their fears. The smaller of the two accuses his big friend of being scared, but the brown creature denies it and suggests that it is the small one who is really afraid. Both try to minimize their fears as they approach a roller coaster. The little purple one says that there are things more scary than this roller coaster, such as a tub full of spiders or snakes. Then the roller coaster stops for them, and, to make matters worse, there is a snake riding on it. Yikes. The three creatures cling to one another and admit that they really are scared as the coaster dips and bends. The final image suggests that being scared is OK, even fun, as the trio get ready for a second ride. The text is minimal and easy to read. The design makes use of lots of white space, with big, two-page illustrations. Children will not be distracted by details in the pictures—the focus is on the emotions. Big, blocky letters holler at readers, making the noise of thumping hearts and whooshing coasters part of the background for the shouting friends. The cartoonish visuals and simple text balance each other well. VERDICT This appealing read-aloud is a good place to start a conversation about being afraid and how we sometimes enjoy the adrenaline rush of overcoming a little fear. Recommended for one-on-one and small group sharing.—Mary Hazelton, formerly at Warren & Waldoboro Elementary Schools, ME - Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Loading...
 |