THE LITTLE SNOWPLOW

Name: THE LITTLE SNOWPLOW
Author: Lora Koehler
ISBN: 978-0-7636-7074-0

by Lora Koehler ; illustrated by Jake Parker ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 13, 2015

There’s always room for another well-told yarn espousing the themes of small-is-beautiful, hard work pays off, and, of...

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Despite skepticism from bigger vehicles, the small, new-kid-on-the-block snowplow works to stay fit, sure that he will be useful one day soon.

“On the Mighty Mountain Road Crew, the trucks came in one size: BIG. That is, until a new snowplow joined the crew. ‘You’re such a little snowplow,’ the big trucks said. ‘Leave the heavy lifting to us.’ And off they roared.” So begins the tale, accompanied by an appealing, full-color illustration of a shyly smiling little snowplow looking up at an array of larger trucks, all of them sporting comical, doubtful facial expressions. In spring, summer, and fall, the little snowplow performs tasks secondary to those of the big trucks, as in creating leaf piles when the bigger trucks mound “mountains of salt and sand.” His early-winter training includes such whimsical exercise as raising and lowering his plow: “Ten times. Fast!” His strength, speed—and, yes, his small size—eventually allow him to be a snowstorm hero. Will, the human road-crew foreman and snowplow driver, enters the story at an appropriate time, taking the little snowplow out for his inaugural blizzard. There is a pleasing combination of Little Toot and The Little Engine That Could to the book, in both text and illustrations. Droll humor and excellent layout add to the fun.

There’s always room for another well-told yarn espousing the themes of small-is-beautiful, hard work pays off, and, of course, “I think I can.” (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-7636-7074-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Candlewick

Review Posted Online: June 9, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2015

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S TRANSPORTATION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE LITTLE SNOWPLOW WISHES FOR SNOW
by Lora Koehler ; illustrated by Jake Parker

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IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

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A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.

Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)

Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024

ISBN: 9780593702901

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Random House

Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S PARANORMAL & SUPERNATURAL | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS

- BOOK REVIEW
IT'S NOT EASY BEING SANTA CLAUS
by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis

- BOOK REVIEW
CHARLIE PIECHART AND THE CASE OF THE MISSING PIZZA SLICE
by Eric Comstock & Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Eric Comstock

- BOOK REVIEW
ALICE FROM DALLAS
by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Ard Hoyt

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LOVE FROM THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR

by Eric Carle ; illustrated by Eric Carle ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 15, 2015

Safe to creep on by.

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Carle’s famous caterpillar expresses its love.

In three sentences that stretch out over most of the book’s 32 pages, the (here, at least) not-so-ravenous larva first describes the object of its love, then describes how that loved one makes it feel before concluding, “That’s why… / I[heart]U.” There is little original in either visual or textual content, much of it mined from The Very Hungry Caterpillar. “You are… / …so sweet,” proclaims the caterpillar as it crawls through the hole it’s munched in a strawberry; “…the cherry on my cake,” it says as it perches on the familiar square of chocolate cake; “…the apple of my eye,” it announces as it emerges from an apple. Images familiar from other works join the smiling sun that shone down on the caterpillar as it delivers assurances that “you make… / …the sun shine brighter / …the stars sparkle,” and so on. The book is small, only 7 inches high and 5 ¾ inches across when closed—probably not coincidentally about the size of a greeting card. While generations of children have grown up with the ravenous caterpillar, this collection of Carle imagery and platitudinous sentiment has little of his classic’s charm. The melding of Carle’s caterpillar with Robert Indiana’s iconic LOVE on the book’s cover, alas, draws further attention to its derivative nature.

Safe to creep on by. (Picture book. 3-6)