144-145 Two Picture Books That Slightly Disappointed

144. The Little Chefs: Three Stories by Rosemary Wells. 2024. [October 22] 80 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars] 

First sentence: When Mama came home from a long day's work, Sylvie made her a cup of tea with honey.

Premise/plot: Three illustrated short stories starring animal families. Each story revolves around a failed cooking/baking attempt--usually by a child. The "little chefs" come to the rescue via a hidden telephone (landline, old school telephone]. Each story is introduced by historical facts about cooking. The stories are written in rhyme.

My thoughts: This is an odd book. I have so many great memories of Rosemary Wells' books. However, this one just didn't work for me. I'd rather have one great story than three smaller stories. I also didn't quite "get" the history lessons. Because the audience for the stories probably aren't the same audience as the history lessons. Also I can't imagine Rosemary Wells' typical preschool/toddler audience sitting still for three stories. And the stories are so similar in many ways. Yes, different families, different recipe disasters, but still.

145. Brandon and the Totally Troublesome Time Machine. Seth Fishman. Illustrated by Mark Fearing. 2024. 32 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars] [picture book]

 First sentence: The morning started like any other day except that....Brandon invented a time machine!!

Premise/plot: Brandon has invented a time machine. However Brandon struggles with time management and a time machine can't solve all his problems. Especially when self-sabotage is at play. Can Brandon learn to better manage time?

My thoughts: I was here for the silliness. I loved the premise of this one. I do wish, in part, it was less lesson-y. On the one hand, it was relatable! It was slightly funny to see Brandon so at odds with himself. On the other hand, it leaned more towards teaching a lesson than telling a story here and there. Now, it is more silly than serious. I did enjoy it some. I just didn't love, love, love, crazy love it. I think the potential to love was definitely there.

© 2024 Becky Laney of Young Readers