Review by New York Times Review
IN MY CHILDHOOD HOME, the basement was terrifying. Sure, this was in part because a previous resident had killed herself there. But in larger part it was scary because my father enjoyed sending me downstairs to get firewood, and then yelling, "Careful of the ghost!" and slamming the door shut. And then cackling. He had a strange sense of humor. When I had a child of my own, and she cried with separation anxiety, he cooed to her, "Mommy has gone to France, and she isn't coming back." You may say, "This is not good parenting, Marjorie!" And yes, members of my family have turned out kind of offbeat. But I'd argue that joking about fears and exposing them to light are great ways to diminish their power. Four new picture books prove this point, just in time for the monster- and inevitable Kim Davis-costumed Halloween season. Let's start with the complex and quirky "Leo: A Ghost Story." Leo is a little ghost boy who lives alone in an empty old-fashioned house. When a new family moves in, he tries to welcome them with mint tea and honey toast, but they see only a floating tray and freak out. Leo, knowing he's unwanted, moves out and hits the big city, which has become bigger and scarier than when he was alive. Again, no one can see him ... except for a little girl named Jane. She thinks he's an imaginary friend, and he's afraid to tell her he's a ghost. The two play games and become besties, and Leo summons the courage to tell Jane he's not imaginary. Her reaction is even better than Leo could have hoped for. Christian Robinson, the book's illustrator, is one of the most exciting children's book artists working today. (He also did the art for the spectacular "Josephine," a picture-book bio of Josephine Baker.) I love the pal-ette of "Leo" : black, white, gray and various shades of moody blue, in a mix of acrylic paint and chunky construction-paper collage. Leo is a simple white ghostly outline with Brylcreemed-looking hair and a bow tie. The living people are done in varying blue tones. Jane is sapphire-skinned but reads African-American to me, with her braided or twisted hair - drawn as cheerful little dots - in a high side ponytail. The look of the book is mod and sparky enough to delight design-loving parents, while the text, by Mac Barnett ("Sam and Dave Dig a Hole"), is wry, evocative and rich. "After dinner Jane returned to her room and gave Leo a sword. They snuck into a cave, slew a dragon, and stole all his loot. When Leo closed his eyes, he could almost see the gold coins and green scales." The story has a light touch, but there's so much depth: a fearful ghost, a take-charge girl, an interracial friendship, and a tale in which fear is integrally and sweetly tied to positive qualities of imagination. Another snazzy book that will appeal to design-savvy parents is "Max the Brave," by Ed Vere ("The Getaway"). Max is an adorable kitten who resents his adorability. People keep tying floppy bows around his neck. Feh. He decides to prove his toughness by chasing a mouse, but unfortunately, he doesn't know what a mouse looks like. Nor does he know what a monster looks like. A wacky mix-up ensues, and Max decides it's O.K. not to be brave all the time. Max is an expressive huge-eyed black ball of kinetic kittenness who pops against each page's bright, differently colored background. Kids will be tickled that they can distinguish a mouse and a monster while Max doesn't, and - spoiler alert - the monster is more funny than scary. "I Used to Be Afraid," by Laura Vaccaro Seeger ("First the Egg"; the "Dog and Bear" books), encourages kids to use logic and reason as tools for managing their apprehensions. The book has a small, square, comforting trim size, perfect for little hands. Using die-cuts, acrylic paint and collage, Seeger depicts a little girl recounting all the things she used to fear: spiders, shadows, the dark, mistakes, change, being alone. After she names each source of anxiety, a turn of the page shows us how she's coped with it. She admires the formerly scary spider's beautifully complex and textured web (which seems to be made of connected dots and dribbles of white glue). She sees that a shadow can actually be the shape of fingers making a Taylor Swift-like heart gesture. Loneliness can be cured with books. You get the idea. A cutout on each spread adds emphasis to the shift in mood or perception when the page is turned, and the ending gently shows that fear can often be laughed away. "The Fun Book of Scary Stuff" delivers on its title. Our fearful narrator reports: "Dad says I should make a list of everything that frightens me. He says it will help me be brave." So the boy does. His terrors are a mix of "stuff that frightens everybody" (monsters, trolls, ghosts, witches) and "stuff that definitely exists," like his cousin Jemima. Who has put ice cubes down his pants. Twice. (I'd be scared too.) In a goofy, cartoony style, the boy's dogs - a bull terrier and a pug, as the title page confirms - chat with him about his fears, their words all appearing in comic-book-like speech bubbles. Sometimes they share his sentiments; sometimes they're a little dismissive. When the boy sees that his pets are really, really afraid of the dark ("Aroooooo! Aroooooo!" "Save me from the dark of nameless evil!"), he realizes he has the power to soothe them by turning on the light: Being able to help others is what makes our hero accept that he's brave. The text, by Emily Jenkins ("A Fine Dessert," "Lemonade in Winter"), is pleasingly sardonic, and the expressive drawings, by Hyewon Yum ("This Is Our House"), will delight dog-lovers. These books reinforce the notion that laughing at fear doesn't mean dismissing it; it means reframing it. A useful skill, no matter what's lurking in the basement. MARJORIE INGALL is a columnist for Tablet. Her memoir, "Mamaleh Knows Best," will be published next year.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [October 11, 2015]
Review by Booklist Review
Max is a black kitten who is so sweet that people dress him up in bows. But Max forgoes bows in favor of a cape so that he can be Max the Brave and fearlessly chase mice. Too bad he doesn't know what a mouse looks like. A Q&A with various critters (Are you Mouse?) leads him right past the tricky mouse to the jaws of a formidable monster. Max the Brave fits into the tradition of cumulative picture books, such as Julia Donaldson's The Gruffalo (1999) and Jon Klassen's I Want My Hat Back (2011), where the protagonist is shuffled along by other characters, with sight gags and visual cues that serve as knowing winks to the reader. Minimalist illustrations and expressive fonts are set against colorful pages to sharpen the reader's focus on Max and the other animals. It's a simple formula but one that works because of the understated humor and attractive layout. Max should find himself chasing Mouse into storytimes again and again.--Dean, Kara Copyright 2015 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Vere (Bedtime for Monsters) introduces a small but brave black kitten who is ready to chase some mice. The problem? "Max the Brave just needs to find out what a mouse looks like." So begins a long chain of interactions with a fly, fish, flock of birds, and other animals, all of whom explain that they are not the mouse Max is looking for and send him on his way. When Max does meet a mouse, the rodent proves to be a quick thinker: "Who me?" he says. "I'm Monster!... But I did just see Mouse asleep over there." After an unpleasant run-in with a giant green creature that resembles a mutant pickle, Max decides that chasing monsters may be preferable to chasing mice. Vere sets the action against empty, construction-paper-colored backdrops that keep a tight focus on Max and the animals he meets. Both the punchy text and illustrations command attention, and plenty of readers will get a kick out of feeling superior to Max, whose bravery is surpassed only by his gullibility and naiveté. Ages 3-6. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Max is not a kitten who enjoys being dressed up in bows. He is fearless and brave and quite determined to chase a mouse. Unfortunately, Max does not know what a mouse looks like. He proceeds to explore his surroundings, asking each animal he meets whether it is a mouse. The animals-Fly, Fish, Bird, and Elephant-help by providing Max with information on Mouse's whereabouts. But one of the animals, with a strangely mouselike voice, misleads poor Max and gets him into a great deal of trouble. Narrator L.J. Ganser speaks slowly and clearly, giving playful voices to the animal characters. Elephant especially has a delightfully silly voice that will appeal to young children. VERDICT While having the physical book on hand might clarify certain scenes, listeners are sure to be charmed by Max's amusing antics. ["Full of playful humor": SLJ 6/15 review of the Sourcebooks Jabberwocky book.]-Amanda Spino, Ocean County Library, NJ © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The time-worn scenario in which mouse outwits cat gets a fresh new spin. Max, a brave, fearless kitten who prefers a superhero cape to cutesy bows, chases mice. There's just one little problem: he doesn't know what a mouse looks like. Going in search of one, Max encounters various unfamiliar creatures and asks who they are; each identifies itself in turn and reports on the real mouse's whereabouts close at hand. When Max eventually meets up with Mouse, he naturally doesn't recognize it, making it easy for the tiny would-be prey to flummox his nemesis completely by claiming to be Monsterand pointing the way to a sleeping "mouse" nearby whosurprise!turns out to be the real monster. The narrator's voice, expertly pulled off with dry British wit, and the childlike, quirky illustrations are the real humorous draws here. Kids will chuckle at Max's bravado, the mouse's blithe deception, and the intrepid hero's antics battling the laughable monster. The short sentences move the pace along at a steady clip; the artwork, rendered mostly in black but with some splashes of bold color, is set against bright pastel-hued pages with sparse background details, keeping readers tightly focused on the action and growing tension. Both the ending and Max's realization that bravery is only occasionally necessary are comically satisfying. A cat-and-mouse game to be laughed at and reread. (Picture book. 3-5) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
