Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The eponymous antagonists of this rhyming fable are a pale-skinned witch, a Jacob Marley--esque ghost, and a turquoise troll with a nasty-looking club. Each boasts that they're "the worst," but after a doubting mouse gives the trio a small, specific challenge--steal the blue-and-white dotted handkerchief of their new neighbor, a pigtailed girl with brown skin--the Baddies prove utterly hapless. When the troll confronts the child on a bridge, "The girl didn't tremble or yell,/ She just did a neat little sidestep,/ And the troll lost his balance and fell." In subsequent scenes, the hanky contains everything needed to thwart a witch's curse, and the girl's offering of a nice hot bath to the ghost utterly knocks him off his game. Longtime collaborators Donaldson and Scheffler (The Gruffalo), who render text and image in their signature style, end on a mild-mannered note: the girl kindly lends her sought-after hanky to a mouse family in need of a warm layer, and the "soundly defeated" Baddies leave town. But the trio's ill-mannered attempts offer up solid slapstick humor throughout, and the protagonist throws enough knowing glances readers' way for them to appreciate how clever she is. Ages 4--8. (Aug.)
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Review by Horn Book Review
The seasoned author-artist pair (recently The Smeds and the Smoos, rev. 3/21) bring their usual humor and spice to this rollicking story of three "baddies": a troll, a ghost, and a witch. When a girl with a "blue spotted hanky" moves into a nearby cottage, the three brag so much about their plans to eat her, haunt her, and turn her to stone, respectively, that a fed-up little white mouse offers a challenge: which one can scare her so much that they can steal the handkerchief? More boasting ensues, but each baddie fails to faze the girl, the very definition of sang-froid. And who ends up with the hanky? The little white mouse, who asks for help keeping her babies warm. Donaldson's propulsive verse will encourage reader participation, with lots of noisy words like splash and roar and ah-choo! to join in on (not to mention the witch's spell: "Hankety pankety / plinkety plonk, / rickety rackety rocket!"). Scheffler's richly colored signature illustrations abound with action and kid-pleasing details, and he manages to imbue even minor characters such as the witch's cat familiar with personality. Sure to wow 'em at story hour. (c) Copyright 2024. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Three malefactors get their comeuppance. Said baddies--a troll, a ghost, and a witch--are beyond redemption and proud of it. They're boastful besides, each proclaiming that their dastardly powers outdo the others'. When a young girl moves into the neighborhood, they set their nefarious sights on her: The ghost itches to haunt her; the troll relishes eating her; the witch brags she'll turn her to stone. A heated power struggle ensues, and a nearby white mouse issues a challenge: Whoever's the worst should easily be able to steal the girl's blue-spotted hanky. Troll goes first with an under-the-bridge ploy, expecting to terrorize the girl with a roar when she strolls across; his stratagem results only in the ghost and witch laughing at him (he lands in the water) while the girl walks off, hanky in hand. Is it giving away too much to reveal that the remaining baddies' plans for hanky-pilfering also fail? In the end, the girl decides the hanky's fate, much to the benefit of that white mouse and its children. This humorous British import, told in bouncy verses that scan well, will keep kids giggling. Its message is that kindness--and smarts, too (the girl soundly outwits her would-be enemies)--overcomes evil intentions. The colorful, lively illustrations are filled with witty details, and the baddies are more comically blustery than scary. The girl is brown-skinned, the witch is light-skinned, and the troll is light-skinned and covered in blue-green fur. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A fun, rollicking "baddie" story that's welcome anytime. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
