Santa Claws: A Scary Christmas to All
Laura Leuck, , illus. by Gris Grimly. . Chronicle, $16.95 (32pp) ISBN 978-0-8118-4992-0
With a bit of a nod to Tim Burton's
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Reviewed on: 09/25/2006
Genre: Children's
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- ONE WITCHLaura LeuckLeuck's (Goodnight, Baby Monster) smooth counting rhyme tracks a witch as she collects nasty "goodies" from ghosts, goblins and the like. "Two Continue reading »
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- For Just One DayLaura LeuckSchoolchildren imagine themselves as chimps, whales and butterflies in this fantasy. The layout builds suspense, with ellipses preceding each page turn: “If I could have a spiky spine/ Continue reading »
- My Monster Mama Loves Me SoLaura LeuckFew monsters have been as sweet as the green, googly-eyed mother and son in this cuddly picture book. More literal and less ominous than Liz Rosenberg and Stephen Gammell's Monster Mama, Leuck's (Sun Continue reading »
- My Monster Mama Loves Me SoLaura LeuckIn a ""tender tone sure to make this a bedtime favorite,"" according to PW, a rhyming verse describes the myriad ways a green, googly-eyed mother shows her boundless love for her son. Ages 3-8. Continue reading »
- Jeepers Creepers: A Monstrous ABCLaura LeuckIn Jeepers Creepers: A Monstrous ABC by Laura Leuck, illus. by David Parkins, 26 monsters, from unlovely Ann the alligator to Zelda (who's ""tall and getting taller"") introduce the alphabet. They Continue reading »
- Sun Is Falling, Night Is CallingLaura LeuckIn spare, gently cadenced verse, newcomer Leuck beckons readers into the soothing rituals of nighttime. ``Day is done, / the sun is falling. / Mama says, / `The night is calling.' / Dusk's around us, Continue reading »
- Teeny Tiny Mouse - PbkLaura Leuck, Laura Lenck, LeuckIn rhyming, repetitive verse, a teeny, tiny mommy asks her teeny, tiny baby mouse to name the colors in their teeny, tiny house. Ages 3-6. Continue reading »
- My Creature TeacherLaura LeuckFearsome educators get their due in My Creature Teacher by Laura Leuck, illus. by Scott Nash, narrated by the hero from My Beastly Brother. The hairy fellow rhapsodizes poetic about his stern, but Continue reading »
- MONSTER MUSEUMMarilyn SingerTo the rollicking beat of Singer's (The Circus Lunicus) absurd poems, children trail an undead docent through a "monster museum" where the exhibits Continue reading »
- BORIS AND BELLACarolyn CrimiAs "the messiest monster in Booville," Bella Legrossi naturally feuds with her fastidiously tidy neighbor, vampire Boris Kleanitoff. Both throw Halloween bashes, and neither invites the Continue reading »
- The Dangerous AlphabetNeil GaimanAcrawl with evildoers, Gaiman's (The Wolves in the Walls ) rhyming abecedary charts the perils of two children and their limpid-eyed pet gazelle. With the Continue reading »
- Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Death and DementiaEdgar Allan PoeThis graphic novel–style companion to Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Mystery and Madness contains four condensed versions of classic Poe stories. Continue reading »
- PinocchioCarlo CollodiThe publisher has timed this unabridged edition of Carlo Collodi's Pinocchio, illus. by Gris Grimly, to hit bookstores just before Roberto Benigni's (Life Is Beautiful) feature film based on the Continue reading »
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- Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Mystery and MadnessEdgar Allan PoeGris Grimly applies his wicked pen to four of Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Mystery and Madness: ""The Black Cat,"" ""The Masque of the Red Death,"" ""Hop-Frog"" and ""The Fall of the House of Usher."" Continue reading »
- Gris Grimly’s FrankensteinGris Grimly, Mary ShelleyGrimly’s fans have been awaiting this reworking of Shelley’s 1818 classic for four years, and they will rejoice in the end result. Spidery ink lines and a palette of jaundiced yellows and faded Continue reading »
- Ten Spooky PumpkinsGris GrimlyGrimly returns with stylized macabre fun in this Halloween-centric counting book, following a blue-eyed, peach-skinned child in a Pierrot-style clown costume. Blocky orange numbers reside in the Continue reading »
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PW talked to illustrator Gris Grimly about his version Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and the perils of tackling a story after so many others have had a go at Continue reading »
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