Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Ella has just received a sheet of glow-in-the-dark stickers, and she's eager to share them with her friend Penguin. But the only way to appreciate their radiance is to go deep into the hallway closet-and while Ella is a little hesitant, Penguin breaks out in a sweat when he even thinks of the dark. Maybe, he suggests, "the stickers will glow somewhere else-somewhere mostly dark." Maynor, making her debut, backs up her perceptive premise with solid comic writing; even though Ella and Penguin's search for a nonscary, semidark viewing environment proves unsuccessful, their attempts (which include sitting under a laundry basket and shielding the stickers from the light with frog- and bear-shaped umbrellas) have the authentic ring of kid ingenuity at work. Working in watercolor and pencil, Bonnet (Poppy's Perfect Paper) makes the repartee between the friends natural and appealing, and when Ella and Penguin finally screw their courage to the sticking place and enter the closet, the unleashed glowing is a payoff worth waiting for. Ages 4-8. Illustrator's agent: Abigail Samoun, Red Fox Literary. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-Ella and Penguin are wonderful friends, and Ella has a surprise-new stickers! But these aren't just any stickers; they're glow-in-the-dark stickers. However, in order to see them, Penguin will have to go into the scary dark of the closet and he doesn't like that idea at all. They try the stickers in other not quite dark enough places, such as under an umbrella, in a laundry basket, or even in the bathtub with the shower curtain closed-but with no luck. Finally, Ella is able to convince Penguin to give the closet a try. The wonder of the glow-in-the-dark stickers proves to be worth facing the dark, showing that maybe it's not so scary after all. The watercolor and pencil illustrations are sweet and add a subtle humor to the story and the soft lesson it's teaching. VERDICT Recommended for general purchase.-Ashley Prior, Lincoln Public Library, RI © 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
A little girl and a penguin conquer their shared fear of the dark. Ella shows Penguin a sheet of astronomical stickers. The stars, rockets, and planets are special because they glow in the dark. But in order to see the glow, Ella and Penguin must go in the closet (a place where there might be spiders, big dogs, and maybe even narwhals). As they peer cautiously inside, Ella accurately points out, "The dark is sodark." They quickly amend their plan and find a place that is only somewhat dark. However, neither hiding in the bathtub, crouching under a laundry basket, nor ducking under umbrellas works. They must face their fear and enter the closet. They do so, flipper-in-hand, gripping tightly. A pitch-black spread heightens the reveal. "Penguin," Ella admonishes, "Open your eyes." A soft-hued phosphorescence lights up Ella's and Peguin's surprised faces. The dark is not so scary after all. In fact, it's beautiful! (Bonnet's control of lighting within her illustrations is all the special effects the book provides; the pages are not actually glow-in-the-dark themselves.) A sprightly girl with double buns in her dark hair and a tiny, squat penguin realize being brave is easy when you have a friend close by (glow-in-the-dark stickers help, too). Maynor, in her picture-book debut, tackles an oft-addressed phobia in an appreciated nonbedtime setting. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
