Beanie the bansheenie

"Everybody in Ireland knows that banshees are supernatural harbingers of doom," tasked with informing a human about when they will die, begins this moving title. But following a mishap at the moment of meeting, Beanie--a sharp-nosed, green-skinned young "bansheenie" with long black hair--is unable to bond properly with human Rose, portrayed with brown skin. This means that Beanie doesn't know, as her kind should, when Rose will die. Beanie tries to learn as much as she can about the child ("Rose's hair tied itself up in terrible tangles if it wasn't brushed") and soon grows to love her. The story's eerie themes are, in the hands of Colfer (the Artemis Fowl series), filled with fizzy glee: Beanie's howl was not ghastly, but "so cute and musical that blackbirds... gathered in the garden to listen." Far from awaiting Rose's death, Beanie realizes that she actively wants Rose to live, and works to save the day when disaster threatens, in this engrossing telling that plays with the idea of love bending immutable truths. Digital artwork by McCarthy (The Wilderness), which takes angular, swirling forms, conjures a sense of otherworldly enchantment. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 5--9. (Nov.)

Sometimes friendships emerge from the most unexpected places. "Everybody in Ireland knows that banshees are supernatural harbingers of doom." Referred to as bansheenies when they are young, these fairies grow in pods. Each banshee forms an unshakable link with the first human they see until one day, the banshee bursts forth to "howl the banshee's howl at them"--a sign that the human is about to die. (Apart from that, banshees and humans don't interact.) Beanie is knocked loose from her pod during the all-important bonding phase and finds herself unable to glean all the knowledge she needs about her human, Rose. As Beanie struggles to do her job, she connects with Rose on a much deeper level than most banshees do with their humans. When Beanie learns of a powerful storm that will destroy Rose's cottage, Beanie appears to Rose, warning her of her family's fate and helping them escape certain death--all conveyed in thrilling, moody swirls of color across several spreads. After much soul-searching, Beanie decides to set aside her grim life tasks and instead further her bond with Rose and continue to "learn the songs of the elements." With their Celtic green palette, McCarthy's spirited digital illustrations are full of life, propelling the narrative forward with motion. They pair well with Colfer's joyful text, which echoes the storytelling tradition of fairy tales with clever descriptions and effective page turns. Rose and her family are brown-skinned. A modern twist on classic folklore and the bonds of friendship. (author's note)(Picture book. 5-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.