July 1, 2020
K-Gr 3-Appearance isn't everything, suggests this clever, rhyming book about an adorable pink cottage who wishes to be haunted. Clarissa, the cottage, is reminiscent of Virginia Lee Burton's sweet Little House, with a delightful, sloping shingled roof, a busy chimney, and a front doormat that seems to smile in welcome. She's surrounded by daisies and scampering squirrels, but wishes to be haunted by ghosts or filled with horrifying monsters like her mother-a witch's hut-or vampires like her father, a castle. After two failed attempts to change her physical characteristics to attract the right type of resident, Clarissa decides that it's better to just be herself. That self-acceptance attracts a vicious unicorn who is perfectly horrible, and they instantly become best friends. Expressive artwork is detailed and hints at Clarissa's darker side. From the intricate family photographs hanging on Clarissa's walls to the blood dripping from her father's eerie windows, the illustrations have much to offer. Ewert's lilting cadence is humorously juxtaposed with sometimes gruesome and scary words and is certain to garner laughs. VERDICT An utterly original take on themes of self-acceptance just in time for Halloween, this is a potential hit to have on every shelf.-Shannon O'Connor, Unami M.S., Chalfont, PA
Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
August 1, 2020
Which cottage would stand out more in a real estate ad: cute or...haunted? Clarissa the sentient cottage dislikes cuteness; as a pink, adorable haven for flowers and squirrels, she's bored. She yearns to be scary and haunted like her father, a gloomy castle, and her mother, a smelly, vermin-infested witch's hut. Dad gladly donates clouds but tells Clarissa it's OK to be herself. The clouds are a bust because they bring rain, which brings forth...a rainbow, plants, and birds. Mom supplies a reeking bottle whose contents allegedly repel living things. Clarissa opens it but...attracts playful dogs. Finally abandoning her desire for a ghostly boarder, Clarissa invites her animals to remain. At the end, a particular creature's unexpected arrival--and its most uncharacteristic behavior--reveal Clarissa's true nature: horrible and cute. And she's just fine with that. This rhyming story is certainly an unusual take on the finding-oneself trope. The bouncy verses mostly read and scan well, include sophisticated vocabulary, and provide Clarissa with a spunky, appealing personality. Different typefaces represent the voices of Clarissa, each parent, and the narrator. The cheerful, lively illustrations are very colorful but a trifle twee; Clarissa and her parents are differentiated through vivid pinks, dreary shades, and anthropomorphic faces. Nature blossoms via bright depictions of flowers, trees, animals, and birds. Not necessarily just for Halloween; readers can appreciate it any time. (Picture book. 4-7)
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August 17, 2020
This winsomely warped story stars Clarissa, an “adorable” but miserable bubblegum-pink cottage surrounded by daisies. Her father is a haunted castle who’s home to vampires and bats, and her mother is a witch’s hut filled with rats, frogs, and spells, but “unlike both her parents,/ Clarissa wasn’t host/ to anybody scary—/ not even one wan ghost!” Her parents’ efforts to help backfire amusingly: the castle offers a rain cloud that generates flowers, and the hut provides a bottle of noxious vapors that, rather than repel innocent creatures, attracts adorable puppies. Though Clarissa fears the worst when a pristine unicorn appears, “sometimes life has funny plans/ that we cannot predict./ The unicorn was vicious—/ he bit and spat and kicked.” The tone can feel muddled, mixing useful commentary about being oneself with a self-critical protagonist who, perhaps concerningly, ends up with a “brute.” But deadpan verse by Ewert propels the tale, and cartoons, painted by Ghahremani in gouache with graphite accents, escalate the humor. Ages 3–6.