Review by Booklist Review
Monster-themed picture books tend to be excessively punny, but with all those classic (and rhymable) icons, who can resist? This feminist tale wrapped in gauze lays out the varied ways that mummies can make a living before coming home to their boys and ghouls. Some work in the service industry (a manicurist sharpens the claws of black cats); others work in white-collar professions (a doctor prescibes coffin syrup ); while still others work the graveyard shift on an assembly line (turning out replacement body parts for Frankenstein). A few of the rhymes are a bit odd: A writer mummy works at home. / She isn't a commuter. / She conjures spells for witches / On her personal computer. But most are great fun: Wanda's mom's a waitress. / She says, Bone appetit!' / When serving hungry skeletons / Big bowls of Scream of Wheat. Meanwhile, Kozjan's busy, undulating, purple-heavy monster mash is perfect for young monster hunters who like to find the devils in the details (literally). An enjoyable tale from the crypt.--Kraus, Daniel Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Horton keeps up the momentum behind the pun in her title with smooth, four-line verses in this vividly illustrated guide to "mummy" professions. A mummy doctor "checks the throats/ Of spooks with raspy moans,/ Then doses them with coffin syrup/ To soothe their frightful groans." A six-armed mummy realtor doesn't shy from selling haunted houses, and mummy caterers deliver plates of eyeballs and worms to a gathering of "drooling beasts." Kozjan delivers a menagerie of monsters and cadaverous creatures, rendered in fluorescent fuchsia, orange, and green, with originality and scares on every page. Ages 3-up. Illustrator's agent: Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-This highly entertaining picture book introduces mummy mommies and a variety of monster creatures they encounter at their jobs. Their careers include manicurist, doctor, caterer, realtor, librarian, and beautician. Rhyming couplets scan perfectly and use clever wordplay to get their message across: the doctor prescribes "coffin syrup," the waitress serves up "Scream of Wheat," while "some mummies work the graveyard shift," for example. The tale begins with the manicurist mummy turning off the alarm clock in her sarcophagus and heading off to work, and ends with her returning home to give a hug to her boy and "ghoul." The colorful and expressive illustrations are filled with Frankenstein and his cousins, werewolves, bats, vampires, and a host of ghosts, much more humorous than scary. Kids will eat this one up.-Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI (c) Copyright 2012. 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
In this ode to hardworking mummy mothers, an impressive collection of careers is introduced with deliciously icky details sure to elicit appreciative "eww's." With a palette dominated by saturated purples, greens, oranges and reds, a detailed, fantastical monster city comes to life. Alongside dragons, ghosts and one-eyed monsters, female mummies contribute their various talents to serve their bustling community. Readers meet a diverse cast, including a brave manicurist who specializes in sharpening claws, a doctor who prescribes "coffin syrup" to cure raspy moans, a waitress who serves frightening bowls of "Scream of Wheat," a realtor who sells haunted dwellings and a dentist who expertly files vampires' fangs. Each mummy expertly tackles the challenges of her profession whether it be working the graveyard shift or taming a classroom of rambunctious goblins. But in the end, "no matter where the mummies work-- / In diners, stores, or schools-- / They can't unwind until they're home // To hug their boys and ghouls." Kozjan obviously had fun creating the full-bleed spreads that successfully extend the humor in Horton's well-paced, rhyming text. Readers will not mind the message delivered amid the amusing wordplay and clever, elaborate illustrations. Sure to be a hit at Halloween, Mother's Day, during a discussion about puns and when the popular question arises, "So what do you want to be when you grow up?" (Picture book. 4-7)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
