Fairy Tale Frankie and the Tricky Witch

A white girl who really loves fairy tales is surprised one day when a bunch of fairy-tale characters visit her home and ask Frankie to hide them from the witch. A white fairy-tale princess is first, stepping through Frankie's bedroom window in a sparkly blue ball gown. She is hidden under the bed, while the unicorn that follows is pushed into the wardrobe. The white mermaid in the bathtub? The shower curtain hides her nicely, and the clanking, suntanned white knight in armor fits in well amid the pots and pans under the kitchen sink. A frog hides in the corn flakes box, and the white king, lampshade over his head, makes a regal lamp in the hallway. But who will hide Frankie from the witch? The girl bravely stands up to the green-faced, pointy-nosed witch, but the magic broom finds all the fairy-tale characters in short order. "Whose turn is it now?" Wait, what? Yep, this is a game of hide-and-seek, and Frankie is now it. Lenton's illustrations combine soft shades with pops of brighter colors, and there are humorous details on every page, especially the page where Frankie finds the frog, her mouth and eyebrows showing her displeasure with the amphibian lounging in her cereal bowl, one front leg supporting his head and his back legs jauntily crossed. Whether on the fairy-tale shelf or the Halloween one, this notably nondiverse book may tickle readers with similar interests, though perhaps only once. (Picture book. 4-6) COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 1, 2016

PreS-K-Frankie loves to read fairy tales. One day she awakens to find her favorite fairy-tale characters asking for her help in hiding them. Readers will be just as puzzled as Frankie, wondering why the characters are so eager to have the boy's help. The answer will become more obvious at the conclusion, with a reference to a familiar game for an audience of this young age. Colorful illustrations show cartoon characters (including a green witch) with distinctive pop-out eyes of black pupils on a circle of white. Lenton employs a decorative technique of designing one spread to be turned to read vertically. The changes in text and font size add variety, as do the lines of sentences that float by, showing the witch's movement on her broom from page to page. Nonetheless, the story is unsubstantial and unmemorable. VERDICT This is a supplemental, nonscary book that could be used for Halloween as well as other times throughout the year.-Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA

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