July 3, 2017
In a dry-humored modern fairy tale, Snyder (Swan: The Life and Dance of Anna Pavlova) explores the concept of less is more as she introduces King Jasper, a young royal who is eager to add some excitement to his kingdom. After Jasper asks the Wizard to bring a dragon into the picture, the creature smashes through a window and starts lighting “tiny fires everywhere.” What better to stomp out those fires than robots? Each magically summoned addition to the kingdom brings new problems, even a passel of kittens, meant to pacify local children (they’re upset over having to wait to go flying with the new superheroes in town). French illustrator Damant’s bright and cheery illustrations bring a Mary Blair–meets-Pixar aesthetic to the pages, which is ideally suited to the way Snyder blends contemporary and classic details; Damant gives the Wizard and King Jasper fittingly regal outfits, but also Converse-style sneakers. Messages about contentedness and good citizenship land with a light touch, including Jasper’s eventual understanding that a good king takes responsibility for the messes he makes. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Tina Wexler, ICM.
December 1, 2017
PreS-K-In this modern-day fairy-tale, a dark-skinned king orders his wizard to conjure up a dragon to add a little fun to his picture-perfect kingdom. When the addition of dragons makes a mess, King Jasper orders the wizard to conjure more and more things in hopes of solving the growing list of problems. In the end, King Jasper ends up making a friend, which fills a void he didn't even realize existed, and, with the help of his new friend and the wizard, he cleans up the messes, this time without magic. Vibrant, cartoon digital artwork is appealing and draws upon the illustrator's background as a character designer with experience in children's television animation. The message is a little muddled, which makes it difficult to connect the dots from King Jasper's wishing for fun to filling a void in his life that requires a friend. VERDICT Despite the humor and visual appeal of this modern-day fairy tale, the story's message is hard to decipher and may be lost on young readers. A strictly additional purchase.-Samantha Lumetta, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County
Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
July 15, 2017
A pint-sized king's boredom and his easy access to a wizard result in a series of messes. Dark-skinned Jasper's got quite the life: ruling from a throne of pillows, eating ice cream every afternoon, reading and coloring. But one day he wants something more. His solution is to ask the white wizard for a dragon--excitement personified. The wizard's not too sure, but since Jasper is the king, "poof!" Excitement comes with a trail of fires it leaves in its wake. The robots the wizard calls forth to stamp out the fires only wreak more havoc, and the superheroes summoned to rein in the robots raise jealousy among the kingdom's kids when they see Jasper being flown about. An army of kittens is surely the answer. They do stop the kids' wailing but cause other problems, especially with Janey, a white girl with allergies. She does help Jasper realize, though, that perhaps the something more he was searching for was a friend, though Snyder never makes this message overt; kids may miss it, especially since they will be wondering why a king with a wizard is cleaning up the mess by hand. Damant's illustrations portray a diverse cast with wide eyes that lack eyelids, giving the people a manic look, and the kittens will have adults imagining candy-colored Felix the Cats. Skip this tale of wish fulfilment gone wrong. (Picture book. 4-8)
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