Valensteins

October 16, 2017
The monsters and animals from 2015’s Fright Club are back, and one of them, Fran K. Stein, has love on his mind. “Hmm. Pink paper... Scissors... Glue... Are you making a mask?” guesses vampire Vladimir, turning two pink hearts into oversize fangs. “It looks like a paper butt!” the resident ghost chimes in. A lesson in what love means follows, leaving the creatures thoroughly disgusted—mushy feelings and the possibility of “kissing someone on the lips” terrify this crowd. There are lots of laughs to be found in Long’s twilit cartoons and the banter among the characters, including the response of the recipient of Fran’s valentine (“Tee-hee! It looks like a paper butt”). Long strikes a neat balance, recognizing how awkward Valentine’s Day can be for kids and how exciting those same feelings can be. Ages 3–6. Agent: Paul Rodeen, Rodeen Literary Management.

September 1, 2017

K-Gr 2-This delightful follow-up to Long's Fright Club gives readers a glimpse into the heart of Fran (Frankenstein). When his friends catch him making a valentine, at first they can't figure out what he is doing. Vlad and the others' interpretations of what the pink heart represents are quite funny. Vlad thinks that the heart is a pair of fangs, the witch thinks it's a bat, the mummy thinks it's a nose, and the ghost thinks it's a paper butt. Bunny is the only one who recognizes the heart for what it is, and when she announces it to the others, shock and horror ensue. A hilarious discussion of what exactly love is and how it is expressed occurs. Bunny explains that a kiss on the lips is the ultimate expression of love. Vlad and the others, except Fran, decry the yuckiness of it all. Fran leaves once he can no longer take the ridiculous behavior of his friends and meets up with the source of all the fuss. Then he remembers what love really is. With perfect insight into a child's view of romance, this humorous book will undoubtedly resonate with young and old. VERDICT A brilliant combination of scary Halloween creatures and Valentine's Day sweetness. A first purchase that does double holiday storytime duty.-Heidi Grange, Summit Elementary School, Smithfield, UT

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from October 1, 2017
A cast of creatures that looks more suited to Halloween than Valentine's Day finds love scarier than anything they could dream up.One cold, dark night, a group of friends--including a wolf, a butterfly, a mummy, a rabbit, a vampire, a witch, a ghost, and Fran (Frankenstein's monster), among others--gathers to practice their scaring techniques. But Fran is acting a little strange, cutting something out of pink paper. The friends guess: fangs? A bat? A nose? A butt? The fluffy white rabbit takes particular glee in sharing all it knows about love: it's "when two people feel all mushy mushy about each other" and flutter their eyelashes. A double-page spread builds up to the reveal that when two people " 'get really, really in love... / ...they...they...// THEY KISS ON THE LIPS!' // 'EEEEWWW!' " By this point Fran's had enough and heads outside, where he's reminded by the sight of someone who looks like the bride of Frankenstein just what love is. The others' response to their talking and gazing at the moon? "Weirdos." Long's sense of comic timing is utter perfection, the manic rabbit and its audience's horrified facial expressions upping the ante. The combination of sassy speech-bubble comments and mushy love talk suits the target audience. Pops of pink brighten the dark colors, mostly black and white with some green and brown. Hysterically plays on kids' stereotyped notions of love, hopefully putting some to rest. (Picture book. 4-8)

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