Chloë Inkpen

Everything in Mrs Blackhat's life was black, from her clothing to her various animals companions. All, that is, save her very, very ginger cat. Determined to fix this state of affairs, the techno-savvy witch began to order spell books and ingredients online, from the Shopalot website. But no matter what she tried, her cat always stayed stubbornly ginger. Her final attempt, using a farewell gift the website sent her after she gave up in despair, produced some surprising results, turning show more everything in her life rainbow-colored, save her cat, who was transformed into a tiger...

The first of two picture-books devoted to the adventures of the titular witch from father-daughter team Mick and Chloë Inkpen, Mrs. Blackhat pairs an amusing witchy tale told in rhyme with bold illustrations. Appropriately enough, given the theme of shopping online, the artwork here looks to have been created digitally, and has a fun, expressive cartoon-style that is well-suited to the story. I don't know that this is destined to become a personal favorite, when it comes to witchy picture-books (a personal pet project of mine), but it is amusing, and would make for a good read-aloud, I believe. I enjoyed it enough that I will be tracking down the sequel, Mrs Blackhat and the Zoombroom!. show less

That technology-obsessed witch Mrs Blackhat returns in this second picture-book devoted to her magical adventures, following upon the eponymous Mrs Blackhat. Having ordered a new state-of-the-art ZoomBroom online, our witchy heroine is eager to try it out, jumping on with her animal companions and taking to the skies. But when she presses the red button intended for experienced pilots only, she finds herself taken on a supersonic flight around the world, ending up in the skies over New York show more City. Here she almost meets disaster, as her power runs out, but fortunately the Statue of Liberty is there to save the day...

Unlike its predecessor, Mrs Blackhat and the ZoomBroom! is not told through rhyme, although there is a refrain throughout, in which the ZoomBroom sings its signature song. It does have a similar theme of online shopping - so timely right now, with many people still stuck at home because of lockdowns - and features the same amusing illustrations, which look to be done digitally. I was disappointed to see that Mrs Blackhat's feline companion does not reprise his role, in either tabby cat or tigrine form, but I was amused by the episode in New York City, during which the Statue of Liberty and her torch play a role. In the end, I found this a fun little witchy confection, but like its companion, I don't think it's destined to become a particular favorite, when it comes to witchy picture-books. Recommended to readers who enjoyed Mrs. Blackhat's previous foray into picture-book land, or to picture-book readers who like witchy fare in general. show less

This book was provided to me as an uncorrected digital proof by the publisher, via Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

The author of the beloved Kipper series teams up with his daughter to tell the heartwarming story of a sweat-band-wearing pug who just can’t seem to do the right thing.
Dog is very badly behaved—he destroys everything, chases cars, rolls in poo, and won’t stop running away! But when he finds himself lost and alone there is one person he knows he can always count show more on.

Dog is the definition of incorrigible; he is who he is, and there’s no changing that. He is young, rowdy, and low on attention span, but he loves his boy. The narrative is cute, irreverent, rhymes, and is sure to catch children’s’ attention. Chloe Inkpen did a lovely job of illustrating the story, and the image of the dog pulling his boy’s sock off will make kiddos giggle. The best part of this read is the message that even the most poorly behaved dog (person) is worthy of affection and devotion. Dog doesn’t suddenly change his stripes, he is simply loved for who he is, and that’s something children need to hear. show less

People who have failed to train their dog blame him for his bad behavior, but relent after a small crisis that literally darkens the pages in the middle of the book as it really brings down the mood.

I'm not fond of the story, but what really bugged me was the author establishing a bah-dump bah-dump rhythm and simple rhyme scheme and then breaking it several times and tossing in some very slant rhymes.