Kelly DiPucchio

A terrible dragon - more terrible even than regular dragons - makes himself a great nuisance in this humorous picture-book from author Kelly DiPucchio and illustrator Greg Pizzoli. His various crimes - stealing candy from baby unicorns, stomping on flowers, scribbling on books - lead the king to issue a call for brave knights to come forward to tame him. When this fails, and the dragon's depredations grow worse, the townspeople also take up the call, but all to no avail. It falls to one show more storytelling boy to solve the problem...

With a conversational narrative full of editorial asides - the narrator often stops to comment on how terrible the dragon's actions are - and colorful artwork that captures both the humor of dragon's actions and the annoyance they cause to the other characters, Dragon Was Terrible is an entertaining book. Not surprisingly, I was charmed by the conclusion, which champions the power of stories and storytelling, as a means of education and conflict resolution. Recommended to young dragon lovers, as well as to anyone looking for children's stories in which the monstrous opponent must be tamed, rather than killed. show less

Oona the mermaid was a born adventurer, embroiled in danger from the time she was no bigger than a scallop. Together with her best friend Otto the otter, she scoured the ocean for treasure, always happy to seek after the beautiful and the wondrous. Only one one treasure eluded her: the crown embedded in a reef, far below the surface of the sea. After many failed attempts to secure this much-coveted prize, Oona became discouraged, until a seaside day with her land friends gave her some show more inspiration, and she was at it again...

Pairing an engaging, well-told tale from author Kelly DiPucchio with beautiful artwork from illustrator Raissa Figueroa, Oona is an immensely appealing picture-book, sure to please young readers and listeners who enjoy magical tales, or who love mermaids. There were moments here where I chuckled - the statement that a mermaid without her spark was like a seagull without an appetite: both unnatural - and other moments where I stopped to admire the artwork. I particularly liked the scene where Oona and Otto were wearing the glasses they found, and I thought Otto himself was a charming sidekick. It probably helps that I love otters! As some other reviewers have noted, it was also nice to have a black mermaid, as I don't think I've encountered too many before, in the world of picture-books. I finished this one with a happy feeling, appreciating the final idea about what makes something a treasure - being made, rather than found - and am very glad to know that a sequel, Oona and the Shark, is forthcoming. Recommended to young mermaid fans, and to picture-book readers looking for stories about perseverance. show less

Oona the mermaid returns in this second picture book adventure from author/illustrator team Kelly DiPucchio and Raissa Figueroa, this time determined to befriend a reluctant hammerhead shark named Stanley. Despite her outgoing, friendly personality, and her many friendly overtures however, Stanley remains elusive, uninterested in all of Oona's gifts and inventions. Eventually our mermaid heroine discovers that the shark dislikes noise and disruption—something created by all of her prior show more attempts at befriending him—and she sets out to create an activity that is quiet and contemplative, eventually winning this selachian creature over...

I found Oona, the eponymous first picture book to feature this little mermaid, quite charming, and anticipated that Oona and the Shark would be similarly delightful. Although not quite the equal of its predecessor, for the most part I was not disappointed in this one, finding the narrative engaging and the artwork lovely. There were moments when Oona was a little bit too much here, more focused on her own desire to befriend Stanley, than on what kind of friend she was trying to be to him, but that is part of the underlying message, I think. I appreciate the fact that Oona learns she must tailor her ideas about play to the needs of this other creature, if she is to succeed in befriending him, and that Stanley can be read simply as a shyer more introverted being, or, with his dislike of noise and need for patterns, as someone who is neurodivergent. Recommended to anyone who enjoyed the first book about Oona, as well as to anyone seeking children's stories about friendship, and how to befriend those who are different from oneself. show less

I wanted to like this one, but there are issues. The whole title evokes the highly problematic Ten Little Indians song, which might have been able to be "reclaimed" by the sweet and inclusive language, except for the inexcusably stereotypical depictions of an igloo and a tepee as two of the houses featured prominently in the song as "snow-cozy" and "stick-cozy" houses, but shown in the illustrations with a child building from blocks, thus equating these two with toys. The tepee is actually show more included a second time in the background of the last park scene spread, further reinforcing the idea that this is a toy. I also didn't see a ton of diversity outside of skin color just being in various shades. Bodies and faces are drawn basically the same, and there's only one picture showing non-Western clothing (salwar kameez). show less