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ENTRY TYPE:
WORK TITLE: Pumpkin Dad
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.pascallemaitre.com/
CITY: Brussels
STATE:
COUNTRY: Belgium
NATIONALITY:
LAST VOLUME: SATA 304
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born 1967, in Belgium; married; wife’s name Manou (dancer-choreographer); children: Maëlle.
EDUCATION:Attended La Cambre (Belgian school of visual arts).
ADDRESS
CAREER
Author and illustrator. La Cambre, Brussels, Belgium, instructor. Exhibitions: Work included in Original Art Show, Society of Illustrators—New York, 2002.
AWARDS:Best Children’s Books selection, Bank Street College of Education, 2014, for A Pet Named Sneaker by Joan Heilbroner.
WRITINGS
Illustrator of general nonfiction works published in France. Contributor to numerous periodicals, including Astrapi, Aventuriers, Bonjour, Dauphin, Le Ligueur, Le Monde, Liberation, Libre Belgique, Marie-France, Maxime, New Yorker, New York Times, New York Times Book Review, Notre Temps, Phosphore, and Time, as well as in art annuals.
SIDELIGHTS
Belgian-born artist Pascal Lemaître brings to life children’s stories by English-languages authors such as Kate McMullan, Alan Katz, J. Hamilton Ray, and Andrea Beaty as well as illustrating over a hundred stories published in France. Frequently compared by critics to the work of such well-known illustrators as William Steig, Shel Silverstein, and James Stevenson, Lemaître’s pen-and-ink drawings also appear in his original stories Emily the Giraffe and Zelda’s Secret. His editorial illustrations can be found in Time magazine and the New Yorker, among other publications; internationally, his artwork and photography have appeared in the widely read Le Monde and Marie-France.
As an illustrator for children, Lemaître is noted for creating “whimsical, cartoon-style, pen-and-ink drawings,” as Marie Orlando noted in a School Library Journal review of McMullan’s Baby Goose. Another tale by McMullan, Bulldog’s Big Day offers a humorous look at a clumsy and unemployed pooch’s attempts to land a job. According to a Publishers Weekly contributor, Lemaître’s “illustrations make judicious use of slapstick humor.” Comparing the artist’s work to that of Richard Scarry, Booklist reviewer Andrew Medlar observed of Bulldog’s Big Day that “the colorful pen-and-ink illustrations are filled with clear and creative details” that enliven McMullan’s text.
Lemaître has contributed illustrations to several folktale retellings by the mother-son writing team of Toni and Slade Morrison. “The best part is the action,” asserted Booklist contributor Hazel Rochman in her review of the first of these, Who’s Got Game? The Lion or the Mouse? Praising the artist’s contributions to another book by the Morrisons, Steven Engelfried added in School Library Journal that “Lemaître’s cartoons” in Who’s Got Game? The Ant or the Grasshopper? “help with the story’s pace” and his decision to “switch from small panels to full-page scenes effectively accentuates dramatic moments” in the picture-book story.
Lemaître’s humorous approach to illustration is apparent in his work for Muntean’s Do Not Open This Book!, in which a swine scribe interacts with readers by demanding that they leave him alone so that he can pen another awarding-winning novel. The comedy of Muntean’s text is enhanced by images detailing the pig’s frustration with writer’s block and the unfolding of his unusual creative process. According to School Library Journal reviewer Joy Fleishhacker, Lemaître’s artwork parallels the dry, comedic tone of Muntean’s text through “loose-lined, messy-looking cartoons in glossy, bold colors.” Sparking additional fun, he incorporates “tiny sidekicks—a round brown spider and violet-blue fly—who mimic [the pig’s] gestures and imply that he’s harmless,” noted a Publishers Weekly reviewer.
More hilarity is served up in J. Hamilton Ray’s beginning reader Squirrels on Skis, in which a small town is overrun by a horde of snow-loving creatures. Lemaître’s “colorful cartoons are expressive and animated,” Janet Weber commented in School Library Journal. Another work for emerging readers, A Pet Named Sneaker by Joan Heilbroner, follows the adventures of a smart and gifted snake and its young owner. In Horn Book, Julie Roach observed that Lemaître’s “pictures provide clues to comprehending the text while also adding great characterization and fun.” Booklist critic Kara Dean compared Lemaître’s illustrative style here to that of Bernard Waber, opining that “Sneaker is as winning a reptile as Lyle the Crocodile was before him.”
A little boy tames a host of fearsome creatures with the promise of hot chocolate in Goodnight, Dragons , a story by Judith L. Roth. “The illustrations … are charming,” Susan E. Murray reported in School Library Journal, and “Lemaître has a knack for combining the every day with the fantastic.” J. Theron Elkins celebrates the joys of friendship in his You Are the Pea, and I Am the Carrot , a picture book described as a “master of sly visual humor” by a contributor in Publishers Weekly. Here the Belgian-born artist turns Elkins’s rhyming narrative “into a showcase of inventive foodie anthropomorphism and sweet silliness,” according to the critic.
A bear named Ted, the young star of a trio of tales by Beaty, shows his self-reliance when he hurts his knee in Doctor Ted , tracks down the source of smoke in Firefighter Ted, and vies for a place among the Old Masters in Artist Ted. In every case, the bear’s good-intentioned efforts are not matched by training and ability, resulting in a series of humorous misunderstandings. “Lemaître’s bright backgrounds and varied compositions” in Doctor Ted range “from vignette clusters to close-ups [and] keep interest,” according to School Library Journal contributor Gay Lynn Van Vleck. The artist’s “brilliant colors fairly jump off the pages” of Firefighter Ted, stated a Kirkus Reviews writer, and his “characters brim with personality.” In Booklist Diane Foote wrote of Artist Ted that it “amuses with an especially wry pairing of text and art.”
[OPEN NEW]
After nine years and illustrating a number of books by other authors, Lemaître again published a book that he both wrote and illustrated, Pumpkin Dad. Centered around Halloween, the story features a little child named Ellis who likes to cast spells. One day, after waking their father from his nap, the father decides to play a trick of his own. When Ellis is not looking, Dad puts a pumpkin on the chair and then hides, convincing Ellis that the spell has turned Dad into a pumpkin. When the pumpkin rolls into a festival full of other pumpkins, Ellis wonders how to determine which one is Dad and then urges festivalgoers to be careful about what they do with his father. “Readers will relish being in on the autumnal joke the whole time,” wrote a contributor in Kirkus Reviews. They praised the illustrations as a “pleasure to watch” and compared both the artwork and plot to those of William Steig, best known for the picture book Shrek!
[CLOSE NEW]
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, October 15, 2002, Hazel Rochman, review of The Book of Mean People, p. 412; May 15, 2003, Francisca Goldsmith, review of Who’s Got Game? The Ant or the Grasshopper?, p. 1660; November 15, 2003, Hazel Rochman, review of Who’s Got Game? The Lion or the Mouse?, p. 598; February 15, 2004, Francisca Goldsmith, review of Who’s Got Game? Poppy or the Snake?, p. 1077; November 15, 2004, Hazel Rochman, review of Baby Goose, p. 588; March 15, 2006, Jennifer Mattson, review of Do Not Open This Book!, p. 53; June 1, 2008, Abby Nolan, review of Doctor Ted, p. 86; August 1, 2009, Hazel Rochman, review of Always, p. 75; October 1, 2009, Shelle Rosenfeld, review of Firefighter Ted, p. 50; February 15, 2011, Andrew Medlar, review of Bulldog’s Big Day, p. 68; February 1, 2012, Diane Foote, review of Goodnight, Dragons, p. 98; February 15, 2012, Diane Foote, review of Artist Ted, p. 58; January 1, 2013, Kara Dean, review of A Pet Named Sneaker, p. 122; December 1, 2013, Maryann Owen, review of You Are the Pea, and I Am the Carrot, p. 70.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, January, 2003, review of The Book of Mean People, p. 206; April, 2004, Elizabeth Bush, review of Who’s Got Game? Poppy or the Snake?, p. 344; March, 2006, Elizabeth Bush, review of Do Not Open This Book!, p. 321.
Horn Book, May-June, 2008, Christine M. Heppermann, review of Doctor Ted, p. 292; September-October, 2009, Christine M. Heppermann, review of Firefighter Ted, p. 537; January-February, 2013, Julie Roach, review of A Pet Named Sneaker, p. 82.
Kirkus Reviews, October 15, 2004, review of Baby Goose, p. 1010; February 15, 2006, review of Do Not Open This Book!, p. 188; March 1, 2008, review of Doctor Ted; July 15, 2009, review of Hush, Baby Ghostling; May 15, 2009, review of Always; August 15, 2009, review of Firefighter Ted; September 15, 2014, review of Pinocchio; July 15, 2017, review of Come with Me; January 1, 2020, review of Do Not Ever Be a Babysitter!; April 15, 2021, review of What the World Could Make: A Story of Hope; July 13, 2023, review of The Ogre in the Hall; April 15, 2025, review of Pumpkin Dad.
Publishers Weekly, September 9, 2002, review of The Book of Mean People, p. 68; June 2, 2003, review of Who’s Got Game? The Ant or the Grasshopper?, p. 50; November 1, 2004, review of Baby Goose, p. 60; January 9, 2006, review of Do Not Open This Book!, p. 52; March 3, 2008, review of Doctor Ted, p. 45; June 8, 2009, review of Always, p. 43; September 14, 2009, review of Firefighter Ted, p. 48; December 13, 2010, review of Bulldog’s Big Day, p. 55; December 5, 2011, review of Goodnight, Dragons, p. 72; November 12, 2012, review of A Pet Named Sneaker, p. 61;September 30, 2013, review of You Are the Pea, and I Am the Carrot, p. 65.
School Library Journal, November, 2002, Maryann H. Owen, review of Supercat, p. 130, and Judith Constantinides, review of The Book of Mean People, p. 132; September, 2003, Steven Englefried, review of Who’s Got Game? The Ant or the Grasshopper?, p. 204; December, 2003, John Peters, review of Who’s Got Game? The Lion or the Mouse?, p. 138; November, 2004, Marie Orlando, review of Baby Goose, p. 128; April, 2006, Joy Fleishhacker, review of Do Not Open This Book!, p. 114; April, 2008, Gay Lynn Van Vleck, review of Doctor Ted, p. 102; May, 2009, Judith Constantinides, review of Always, p. 83; July, 2009, Ieva Bates, review of Hush, Baby Ghostling, p. 60; September, 2009, Susan E. Murray, review of Firefighter Ted, p. 115; February, 2011, Ieva Bates, review of Bulldog’s Big Day, p. 86; January, 2012, Kathleen Finn, review of Artist Ted, p. 70; March, 2012, Susan E. Murray, review of Goodnight, Dragons, p. 134; January, 2013, Melissa Smith, review of A Pet Named Sneaker, p. 78; September, 2013, Janet Weber, review of Squirrels on Skis, p. 129; October, 2013, Martha Link Yesowitch, review of You Are the Pea, and I Am the Carrot, p. 81; October, 2014, Kira Moody, review of Pinocchio, p. 89; September, 2019, Mary Lanni, review of Listen, p. 100.
Voice of Youth Advocates, June, 2004, Tim Brennan, review of Who’s Got Game? Poppy or the Snake?, p. 145.
ONLINE
Celebri-dots, https://www.celebridots.com/ (June 16, 2017), author bio.
Pascal Lemaître website, http://www.pascallemaitre.com (December 10, 2025).
Pippin Properties website, http://www.pippinproperties.com/ (August 1, 2016), “Pascal Lemaître.”*
Pop Goes the Page, https://popgoesthepage.princeton.edu/ (March 14, 2023), author interview.
Pascal Lemaitre is a freelance author and illustrator based in Belgium. His editorial work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Le Monde, Libération, Le 1, Lacroix, Astrapi, J'aime Lire, Pom d'Api and Dorémi , among many other publications. Pascal’s illustrations for children and adult books can be found in the catalogs of many American, Belgian and French editors such as L'École des Loisirs/Pastel, L'Aube, Simon & Schuster, Scholastic, and Penguin Books.
He has had the enormous privilege of working with authors Toni and Slade Morrison, Stéphane Hessel, Edgar Morin, Boris Cyrulnik, Jean-Claude Ameisen, Pierre Rahbi and Rascal. In 2015, the museum Tomi Ungerer curated an exhibit titled "Tomi Ungerer invites Pascal Lemaitre”, featuring Pascal’s children books’ illustrations. Among them, The Book of Mean People by Toni and Slade Morrison prompted legendary illustrator and author Bill Steig to exclaim: "These drawings are wonderful, and you can quote me!"
Friday, June 16, 2017
Pascal Lemaître
Pascal Lemaître is the illustrator of several books for children, including Who's Got Game? The Ant or the Grasshopper? (Simon & Schuster, 2003), Who's Got Game? The Lion or the Mouse? (Simon & Schuster, 2003)—both New York Times bestsellers—as well as Who's Got Game? Poppy or the Snake? (Simon & Schuster, 2004), and The Book of Mean People (Hyperion, 2002), all by Toni and Slade Morrison. Pascal also created the artwork for Supercat (Workman, 2002), Supercat to the Rescue (Workman, 2002), and Baby Goose (Hyperion, 2004), all by Kate McMullan, Do Not Open This Book! by Michaela Muntean (Scholastic, 2006), and the Doctor Ted series by Andrea Beaty (Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2008). Pascal's more recent books include Hush Baby Ghostling by Andrea Beaty, Always by Alison McGhee, Let's Get a Checkup by Alan Katz, Bulldog's Big Day by Kate McMullan, Goodnight Dragons by Judith L. Roth, and a retelling of Pinocchio by Kate McMullan. He also illustrated Come With Me by Holly McGhee, to be published September 5, 2017.
Pascal was born in Belgium in 1967. He began illustrating in 1989, and now also teaches visual narration in Brussels at La Cambre, a school created by H. Van de velde where he once studied. Pascal spends his year between Brussels, Brooklyn, and Trouville with his wife, Manou, and their daughter, Maelle...and their dog, Doodle.
Pascal Lemaître
Posted on March 14, 2023
PascalLemaitrePortrait01_72res2It’s always wonderful to see an artist’s finished work, but rarely do you get a chance to see their creative process. Especially when that process includes a correspondence with Toni Morrison! In researching the Toni Morrison Papers for our current exhibit, we were delighted to discover the charming and captivating work of artist Pascal Lemaître. From sending Morrison quick sketches in the margins of a fax, to a funny observation in a letter, to a touching dedication on a card, Lemaître’s warmth, playfulness, and vibrancy shone out of every folder and archive box we opened.
pig with flower 4
Original illustration of pig holding a flower by Pascal Lemaître; Toni Morrison Papers, Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library.
Based in Belgium, Lemaître is a freelance author and illustrator with an impressive catalog of publications for both children and adults. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Le Monde, Libération, Le 1, Lacroix, Astrapi, J’aime Lire, Pom d’Api and Dorémi. In early 2000, he began working with Toni and Slade Morrison on their second children’s book, The Book of Mean People, and continued that collaboration with three subsequent stories: The Ant or the Grasshopper, The Lion or the Mouse, and Poppy or the Snake, which are all part of the innovative Who’s Got Game series.
mean_people original 4
The Book of Mean People original Illustration with inscription by Pascal Lemaître; Toni Morrison Papers, Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library.
I reached out to Lemaître to ask about his artistic process and experience in working with Toni and Slade Morrison. The interview was conducted in French and is translated below. The original French version can be found here.
How did you first meet the Morrisons?
In the office of Carolyn Reidy, president of Simon & Schuster. We had a meeting about the Who’s Got Game series, for which I had received the initial text draft. I had sent a proposal for a comic book adaptation with a range of dominant colors depending on the album and the place where the story took place. Madame Morrison had my envelope in her hand. She and Slade were excited. Madame Morrison had read comics in her youth and was partial to this medium and she gave me carte blanche. I was with my agent, writer Holly McGhee. Nan Graham and Alexis Gargagliano managed the project for Scribner.
Turtle and Hare_edited 3.
Original illustration of turtle by Pascal Lemaître; Toni Morrison Papers, Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library
Before we start talking about Toni & Slade’s books, had you ever illustrated for children before?
Yes, my first book was published in 1992 by Editions du Seuil and translated into English by Hyperion in 1993. But I had mainly worked in children’s publishing in Belgium and France, a lot for Bayard Presse which publishes magazines such as Astrapi, J’aime Lire, Pom d’Api etc. Some of my drawings had already been published in The New Yorker.
bunny and bug 3
Original illustration of rabbit and bug by Pascal Lemaître; Toni Morrison Papers, Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library
Can you tell us a bit about your creative and collaborative process with them?
For The Book of Mean People, my sketches went through Andrea Pinkney, editor at Hyperion. For the Who’s Got Game series, I spoke directly with Madame Morrison. She was very welcoming, open and warm. It helped me to feel free and to forget that she was a Nobel Prize winner. Slade, being a painter and a musician, also respected and encouraged my freedom. It was he who told his mother how much the morality of Aesop’s fables bothered him. I submitted my graphic-designed sketches of the characters and made adjustments according to their requests. I then moved onto dividing the stories into boxes with the speech bubbles which were reread and sometimes adjusted by Madame Morrison so that there was not too much redundancy between the content of the image and the text.
FINAL lion notes 3
Various lion sketches by Pascal Lemaître with notes from Toni Morrison; Toni Morrison Papers, Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library
For The Ant or The Grasshopper the text’s lyricism made me think of poetry slams and hip-hop. So I set the action in Brooklyn with gray-blue tones that convey the chill of autumn and winter. For The Lion or the Mouse, there were passages of inner thought that made me think of Kurosawa films like “Ran,” when the clan leaders start monologues. The rhythm of comics offers these possibilities of slowness. The Lion or the Mouse has dominant warm colors and takes place in Africa.
Poppy or the Snake is the only book where Madame Morrison asked me to draw black characters. I proposed that the action take place in Louisiana and to have the book in swampy green tones to continue this idea of books differentiated by their color atmospheres. I drew a 1950s Dodge pickup for aesthetic reasons. I photographed it at a Belgian collector of American cars. He has a big hangar with lots of old American cars. It was the Belgian cartoonist Evermeulen who introduced him to me. For Poppy, I made a small sculpture of his face to draw from different angles.
poppy and the snake sculpture 3
Image courtesy of Pascal Lemaître.
I knew Louisiana from having stayed there. I was able to add symbols like dogs (inhabited by the souls of the dead) and make reference to the Blues by introducing a moment when Poppy meets a singer (Robert Johnson) while going shopping.This story within the story was a homage to Slade’s relationship to music and connected with the musical grasshopper of the previous volume.
poppy and the snake 3.
Who’s Got Game? Poppy or the Snake? Simon & Schuster, 2003
We did proof readings with Toni Morrison in her Center Street apartment. She was a joy to listen to. She spoke with such pleasure. She was extremely quick-witted and lively. She was very tolerant and patient with me given my very average English. Luckily for me, she loved Edith Piaf. P.s. – there is another story that was illustrated, but not published.
I’m curious – the title The Book of Mean People makes me think the “bad guys” would be humans, but the characters are actually rabbits. Has there been a lot of discussion about this?
At my level, no. However, I do not know if there was any between the publisher and Madame Morrison. I had received a rather short draft by fax in Brussels. To have a book of a minimum of 24 pages, I proposed making a double page per line. Additionally, this text seemed universal to me. It was about the gap between adults and children as well as a relationship to language (I will come back to this later). It is for this reason that I created animal characters, to avoid having to stereotype humans. Also, the rabbits allowed me to bring a softness to this rather hard text and to play more free and symbolic games with the ears, for example. The rabbits also allowed the final image to be a return to nature, to the forest. I think this idea of a story within a story interested Madame Morrison and opened the door for me to collaborate on the Who’s Got Game series.
the book of mean people 6
The Book of Mean People, Hyperion Books for Children, 2002.
A few years ago I proposed to do an illustrated French version of her Nobel Prize speech. This text is very strong and addresses the vulnerability of language just like in The Book of Mean People where the words also lend themselves to confusion and misunderstanding. Entre vos mains [“In Your Hands”] was published in 2018 by Editions de L’Aube.
Is there an illustration from your children’s book collaborations with the Morrisons that is really meaningful to you? And why?
I think it’s the grasshopper in the cardboard box in the middle of Central Park. I feel like text and image work well. The picture is so sad. It is also a reference to Charlot (a.k.a. Charlie Chaplin) poor and alone in the silence of the night and in silent cinema. Madame Morrison’s idea of crumbling wings is such a strong one.
grasshopper in box 5
Who’s got Game? The Ant or the Grasshopper? Scribner, 2003.
Toni Morrison is so amazing, what impact has working with her had on you as an artist?
I would define “extraordinary” in the sense of extra-ordinary, out of the ordinary. She is one of those people who are living proof that life can be vast, who broaden the horizon of thought and of humanity. I would also add this line from Guillaume Apollinaire that my friend Stéphane Hessel adored and which reminds me of her: “We want to explore the enormous kindness of the land where everything is silent.” Collaborating with Madame Morrison was so motivating, so nourishing. I had the feeling of being useful to a cause. It was a huge acknowledgement. It gave me self-confidence without forgetting the fragility of existence and of the world. It was also an apprenticeship with a heroine of history. It was something! I had a lot of affection for Slade and her. Slade was touching and very sensitive. But I’ll stop writing there because I am tearing up. We have lost the Sun.
toni morrison
Image courtesy of Pascal Lemaître.
In our archives, a ladybug walking a smaller bug appears several times in your sketches and correspondence. We see a final version of her on the first panel of The Ant or the Grasshopper Does this character have a special meaning for you? We have our theories…
I’m curious to find out your theory. This character is also effectively a story within the story.
My theory is that it is a tribute to an important woman that you hold in high affection in your life. Did I get close?
You got it ;)
ladybug canvas 4.
Illustrations (two original) of ladybugs by Pascal Lemaître; Toni Morrison Papers, Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library
Thank you for interviewing today, it was truly an honor and a privilege! Is there anything you would like to add?
I would like to thank Ford Morrison and express my gratitude for their support.
Many thanks to Mireille Djenno, Global Special Collections Librarian, for her translation work. We appreciate it!
McMullan, Kate PINOCCHIO Christy Ottaviano/Henry Holt (Children's Fiction) $12.99 11, 4 ISBN: 978-0-8050-9699-6
The classic tale of the wooden boy who wants to become real gets a 21st-century update. McMullan presents readers with a straightforward retelling of Pinocchio's lies and trials based on the Carlo Collodi original. Those unfamiliar with that text will undoubtedly be surprised by what they find here. McMullan pulls no punches, recounting every step of the puppet's journey, even when it doesn't make much sense. Some will find the herky-jerky nature and bizarre violence of Collodi's original tale off-putting. Characters that die one moment (Cricket, Blue Fairy, etc.) may then walk about without any explanation for their resuscitations the next. Fortunately Lemaitre's art goes a long way toward softening some of the harsher elements of the tale, his cartoonish style offering a humanity and pathos to a character that might otherwise prove too flawed to love. The episodic nature of Pinocchio's adventuring (the original book was syndicated in newspapers) pairs remarkably well with this simple format for emerging readers. Despite the series title--Cartoon Classic--the text-to-picture ratio slots this squarely in the early-chapter category rather than the graphic-novel section. A sharp, ultimately appealing corrective to Disney's better-known confection. (Fiction. 7-10)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2014 Kirkus Media LLC
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"McMullan, Kate: PINOCCHIO." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Sept. 2014. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A382317247/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=db0f3fc8. Accessed 16 Sept. 2025.
McGhee, Holly M. COME WITH ME Putnam (Children's Fiction) $17.99 9, 5 ISBN: 978-1-5247-3905-8
How can one person make a difference?A girl, frightened by what she sees on the news, asks her father, a white man, what to do to make the world a better place. Appealing watercolor-and-ink illustrations portray their resulting walk to the subway as they say hello to passers-by and, in doing so, win "a tiny battle over fear for themselves and for the people of the world." Next, the girl asks her mother, a brown-skinned woman, and together, the two shop for dinner, because "one person doesn't represent a family or a race or the people of a land." Finally, the biracial girl asks to walk her dog. Her parents allow her to do this alone, their message to the world that they don't want to "live in fear." The girl and her dog walk with a neighbor boy (who is black), because "two people together are stronger than one." The story concludes with the idea that to improve the world, one need only carry on and be kind, and the result feels superficial and treacly; the characters essentially receive praise for recognizing that human connections are important, and the girl, eager to make some sort of a difference in the world, never finds out about any further options or ideas. World events may be difficult for both adults and children to process or comprehend, but this well-intentioned selection fails to offer much beyond self-congratulation. A look at fear from a privileged perspective. (Picture book. 3-8)
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"McGhee, Holly M.: COME WITH ME." Kirkus Reviews, 15 July 2017. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A498344996/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=5cc4207f. Accessed 16 Sept. 2025.
MCGHEE, Holly. Listen, illus. by Pascal Lemaitre. 32p. Roaring Brook. Sept. 2019. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9781250318121.
Gr 1-3--Everything is connected, from all the people in the world to Earth itself and the stars beyond. Readers are guided through an experiential journey in this book, being instructed to listen, feel, breathe, and look in order to take in everything around them. Each element, from the sound of one's feet to the sun to the stars, is a part of a bigger whole while simultaneously belonging only to the reader. While the eyes can look and the ears can hear, it is the heart alone that has the power to comprehend everything: love is the key to an interconnected existence. Simple, poetic language builds the framework for this book, repeating words and phrases throughout. Readers of all ages will appreciate the lyrical beauty of the text, whether listening to it with others or enjoying it alone. Childlike illustrations reminiscent of Shel Silverstein are enhanced by beautiful, dulcet colors that saturate each page. Fans of books like Liz Scanlon's All the World will love the similar message presented here about love and inclusion in a world Uiat at times seems devoid of those sentiments. VERDICT Readers of all ages will love this poetic, gentle book about understanding and appreciating the universe for both its individual components and how they are intertwined with one another.--Mary Lanni, formerly of Denver Public Library
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2019 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Lanni, Mary. "MCGHEE, Holly. Listen." School Library Journal, vol. 65, no. 8, Sept. 2019, p. 100. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A597858977/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=8d360058. Accessed 16 Sept. 2025.
Muntean, Michaela DO NOT EVER BE A BABYSITTER! Scholastic (Children's Fiction) $17.99 4, 7 ISBN: 978-1-338-28390-7
These piggy progeny are a problem!
The erudite (and one might say uptight) pig from Do Not Open This Book (2006) has been prevailed upon to babysit his niece and nephews. "Do you know anything about children?" the pig asks readers. He wonders if there's any way to control the volume on them or if they come with specific washing instructions. Their mother has left a list of ways to keep them occupied, but it seems the protagonist's ideas of what constitutes playtime (the harp or golf) are not in sync with the piglets', and readers are likely to tell him so. It's the same with snack time (would piglets like Limburger and caviar?) and nap time. After a disastrous "CRASH!" the harried porker asks readers to assess a list of suggested activities to entertain these unruly kids: laundry, cleaning the bathroom, vacuuming, or going outside. The page turn gives readers the opportunity to supply the correct answer, which he tries. Outdoor play seems to work for a moment--until the mud fight. But after a little detente on the part of his charges, he decides babysitting is not all that bad. Lemaitre's bright cartoons bring James Stevenson to mind, and they provide plenty of giggles in their interaction with Muntean's all-dialogue text. The pig's gender is never specified textually, but stereotypes both visual and cultural suggest the protagonist is male.
Interactive silliness for both babysitters and babysat. (Picture book. 3-7)
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"Muntean, Michaela: DO NOT EVER BE A BABYSITTER!" Kirkus Reviews, 1 Jan. 2020. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A609999036/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=0ce9c240. Accessed 16 Sept. 2025.
McGhee, Holly M. WHAT THE WORLD COULD MAKE Roaring Brook (Children's None) $17.99 5, 4 ISBN: 978-1-250-26811-2
Two lagomorph friends rejoice in the beauteous gifts of the four seasons.
Rabbit and Bunny, the former white and the latter white with pale brown splotches, gaze in wonder at a snowfall. The two are just a small part of a wintry double-spread vista of white flakes against a blue background. Green-scarfed Bunny wants the snow to be ingrained in his memory. Red-scarfed Rabbit presents Bunny with a gift—a large snowball that Bunny calls a “gift from the heart [made] from a gift from the sky.” Spring brings scented and colorful lilacs, and Bunny fashions a floral crown for Rabbit. It is another “gift from the heart,” this one made “from a gift from the earth.” Summer arrives and with it, green and salty sea pickles that they call a gift “from the sun and the sea and the sand.” Autumn unfolds with a carpet of ginkgo leaves heaped into a pile perfect for play. The two good pals joyfully exult in yet another bounty of the world in this gentle tale of sharing and seasonal splendor. The delicate pen-and-ink illustrations complement the spare text with delicate settings. The two friends go unclothed except for scarves in winter but walk on their hind feet and hold paws; the expressive cants of their ears deftly communicate emotions. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by 17-inch double-page spreads viewed at 49.7% of actual size.)
Sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet. (Picture book. 2-4)
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"McGhee, Holly M.: WHAT THE WORLD COULD MAKE." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Apr. 2021. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A658194589/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=24dc6041. Accessed 16 Sept. 2025.
Lemaître, Pascal PUMPKIN DAD Viking (Children's None) $10.99 7, 15 ISBN: 9780593695203
Sometimes spells go awry.
Ellis, an impish, red-haired tot dressed as a witch, loves Halloween. Errant wand waves and a barrage of "Abracadabras" wake Dad from his nap as Ellis marches into the room. But Dad is a little rascally as well and decides to play a trick. While Ellis isn't looking, Dad puts a large pumpkin on the chair and hides. Ellis glances over, distraught: "Oh no. I turned my dad into a pumpkin!" Quick as a wink, Ellis loads the pumpkin onto a bike, intending to rush it to the hospital; Dad tries to call out that it was a joke, but Ellis speeds off. On the way, however, the pumpkin falls and rolls into a pumpkin festival. In the large sea of orange gourds, how is Ellis to figure out which one is Dad? A string of silly circumstances follows, with Ellis calling out warnings to various confused festivalgoers: "Oh no, no, please don't doodle on my dad!" "Oh no, no, please don't cook my dad!" Lemaître's jovial plot recalls William Steig's work, while his expressive ink-lined characters are a pleasure to watch. Goofy humor and quick quips help this tale bounce merrily from one vignette to the next. Both Ellis and Dad are pale-skinned; their town is diverse.
Readers will relish being in on the autumnal joke the whole time.(Picture book. 4-7)
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"Lemaitre, Pascal: PUMPKIN DAD." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Apr. 2025. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A835106390/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=5673e5ab. Accessed 16 Sept. 2025.
THE OGRE IN THE HALL
by Céline Sorin ; illustrated by Pascal Lemaître ; translated by Jill Davis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 8, 2023
An amusing, empowering story about conquering nighttime fears.
Ayoung pup needs to use the bathroom, but someone’s already on the toilet!
Even though Jojo is scared of the ogre who comes out at night, a full bladder is keeping the little dog from sleeping. So, armed with a toy sword, Jojo opens the bathroom door and confronts the ogre, who turns out to have a tummy ache. The ogre likes Jojo’s bathroom because it has a light (unlike his own). The ogre needs to wash his hands in Jojo’s other bathroom (the first bathroom apparently lacks a sink), but he’s scared of the octopus who lives there, so Jojo accompanies him. That octopus is herself afraid of the crocodiles in the hall, and they in turn are terrified of the ogre. And Jojo still needs to pee! The bright colors and cute concept make this French import an appealing read for young children, who’ll be empowered to face the dark on their own trips to the bathroom at night. Jojo veers between resembling a dog and a kangaroo throughout, and it doesn’t make a lot of sense that the first “monster” Jojo encounters is a literal ogre while the rest are animals like Jojo. But the conclusion to the potty emergency will leave both Jojo and readers satisfied even if the penultimate joke falls a little flat. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
An amusing, empowering story about conquering nighttime fears. (Picture book. 2-4)
Pub Date: Aug. 8, 2023
ISBN: 9781662640520
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Hippo Park/Astra Books for Young Readers
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2023