Vunce upon a Time

From the Publisher

THE BULLETIN OF THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN\'S BOOKS When the holiday calls for more giggles than shrieks, Seibold\'s world may be the place to be.

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY Like Seibold\'s heroine in Olive, The Other Reindeer, [Dagmar] makes a promising holiday icon.

Publishers Weekly

Vegetarian vampire Dagmar, who prefers cherry juice to blood, "tend[s] to his moonlit vegetable patch" rather than prowl. Dagmar also adores candy, and when his crops grow slowly, he craves sugary snacks, prompting a skeleton in a pirate hat to recommend a certain human holiday involving scary costumes and free treats. Seibold (the Mr. Lunch books) and Vivian (A Little Friendly Advice) revisit time-tested Halloween formulas, freshening them with Seibold's quirky all-digital art, complementary palette and whimsically distorted shapes. Once the Halloween theme kicks in, however, they lose sight of Dagmar's vegetarianism and focus on sweets; likewise, except for a remark from Dagmar's mother, the title's stylized accent is absent from the wordy prose. Yet Dagmar himself is sympathetic, and he has a charming habit of turning into a bat when startled. Like Seibold's heroine in Olive, the Other Reindeer, he makes a promising holiday icon. Ages 4-8. (Oct.)

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Children's Literature - Anita Barnes Lowen

Dagmar was quite unlike other vampires. While others flew off to hunt, he tended his garden; oddly enough Dagmar was a vegetarian. Unfortunately for a hungry young vampire, his vegetables grew far more slowly than his appetite. This wasn't a problem as he usually had a stash of something he loved to eat even more than vegetables...candy! Except Dagmar was down to his last gummy worm. "I've run out of candy!" he moaned to a little skeleton who asked what was wrong. The skeleton had a wonderful suggestion. He explained that the very next night was Halloween—a holiday in which humans handed out candy for free. "But you have to wear a scary costume, I think." Poor Dagmar. He had never met a human before and just the idea gave him shivers. But when he thought of all the candy he could get, he knew he had to be brave. Cleverly Dagmar created the scariest costume a vampire could imagine...garlic! But, alas, on Halloween Eve when Dagmar went to his closet to get his costume, giant zombie moths fluttered out. They had eaten every bit of his masterpiece. What was Dagmar to do? Maybe he didn't need a costume at all. Maybe he could just be himself. A nice addition to a collection of Halloween books. Illustrated with unique quirky digital drawings. Reviewer: Anita Barnes Lowen

School Library Journal

K-Gr 3

Dagmar is a vegetarian vampire who lives in a creepy old castle with his parents and other ghoulish creatures. He has a gentle soul and a serious sweet tooth; he does not like blood. A castle mate tells him about a human holiday where candy is handed out for free and Dagmar embarks upon making a costume to transform himself into a scary being. His choices are hilarious-a puppy, a kitty, or a butterfly-terrifying if you're a vampire. Eventually he goes out as himself and meets a "ghost" who teaches him how to trick-or-treat. Even though the little girl frightens Dagmar, they make a connection that could change his view of humans forever. The computer illustrations are characteristic of Seibold's style-rounded figures with big eyes and lots of detail throughout the panels. The palette is bold, and the images are filled with kid-pleasing details. A fresh spin on Halloween.-Linda M. Kenton, Pickleweed Public Library, San Rafael, CA

Kirkus Reviews

Dagmar the vampire loves his veggies, but he also enjoys his secret stash of candy, given to him once a year by his undead friends. When he runs out, a little skeleton tells him about Halloween: "But you have to wear a scary costume, I think." His parents think he's too little to go trick-or-treating, but he demonstrates his pluck by cobbling together a garlic-bulb costume-but is left to his own vampiric devices when it's eaten by zombie moths. The humor inherent in the premise wears thin with each plot twist and will likely leave literal-minded young readers scratching their heads where a simpler approach would have been just right. (Picture book. 4-8)