Julius's Candy Corn (Board book)

~ (Author, Illustrator) "Julius was ready for the Halloween party..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Julius's mother has baked cupcakes with candy corns on top for his Halloween party. As he admires them, she informs him that he can't eat them until the guests arrive. "So Julius started counting instead. `One candy corn,' said Julius." The illustrations show the little white mouse eating the candy-not the cupcakes-until he has "counted" them all. Just as he finishes consuming the last of them, the doorbell rings, and the party begins. One to four lines of short text on lilac, lime green, sunshine yellow, sugary pink, or candy-corn orange backgrounds face simple illustrations on all-white backgrounds. The cupcakes are arranged in a straight line on a tabletop in each picture, enabling young listeners to help count the cupcakes (and candy corns) along with Julius. This is a gem of a story; it's short and sweet and perfect for toddler and preschool storytimes.
Olga R. Kuharets, Broward County Libraries, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Reviewed with Kevin Henkes' Wemberly's Ice-Cream Star .

PreS. Food is at the forefront of these board books featuring two of Henkes' signature characters, the worried Wemberly and "baby of the world" Julius. Julius has been told not to eat the 10 cupcakes for the Halloween party. Instead, he starts counting the candy corn on the top of each treat--counting by popping each morsel of corn in his mouth. Wemberly, on the other hand, is so worried that her ice cream bar will drip on her dress (or that there won't be enough for Petal, her stuffie) that she and Petal finally wind up eating ice-cream soup. The text is very short; the drama is in the art, one image to each candy-colored page. The youngest of Henkes' fans might not understand all the nuances (yes, nuances) of these vignettes. But kids who love the characters will welcome a new glimpse of them, and Julius' story could be used with a small group of toddlers for a Halloween story hour. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Baby-Preschool
  
• Board book: 24 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books (August 5, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060537892
• ISBN-13: 978-0060537890
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 5.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #380,118 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FUNNY, August 27, 2003

By A Customer

My children love Kevin Henkes's books. This is a funny story about Julius and how he counts cupcakes and eats all the candy corn. Sweet but not sticky.

2.0 out of 5 stars Very disappointed with its lesson, October 2, 2009

By	Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Julius is ready for the Halloween party, dressed up in his clown suit, and so is his mother, who has made cupcakes for the party. Julius can't wait to dig into the cupcakes, and when told not to eat any by his mother, he decides to make an end-run around his mother - he will only eat the candy corns from the tops of the cupcakes. Now, it's time for the party.

I must admit to being of two minds when it comes to this book. I thought that the story was quite cute, and the illustration work very nice. I must say, though, that I was troubled that the book merely seemed to exist to teach a lesson of obeying the letter of a parent's orders, while disobeying the spirit of them. There is no counting in this book, and no educational lessons, there is merely the story of the candy corn.

Well, I guess that that is all that I can say. I was disappointed with the book, and very disappointed with its lesson. I can't recommend this book, but I leave it to you. Decide for yourself if this is the kind of book you want for your little reader.

5.0 out of 5 stars Candy Corn Caper!, April 6, 2006

By	N. Schweitzer (Denver) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Once again Kevin Henkes has written a book to tickle a toddler's funny bone! Any child can surely relate to the temptation of a tasty treat that can be looked at but not touched, and Julius' solution is surprising yet clever. Yes he was a bit naughty, but he really DIDN'T disobey his mum and no harm was done. Any parent who has had a sweet yet mischievous child will appreciate this book and little ones will love the story and pictures. Who can resist cupcakes and a party?