Nicely addresses bullying without getting nasty.
Real friends, imaginary friends? Does it make a difference?
Lucy loves art class. One day, her teacher, Ms. Martin, tells the class to draw pictures of what they did over the weekend. They are allowed to use any materials they’d like for the pictures. Joey is worried because he had a boring weekend, but Lucy knows just what to draw. She has so many ideas that she needs extra paper, which she fills with images of a pink elephant. Stacey tells Lucy that she’s not supposed to be drawing imaginary images—just real things that happened; Lucy assures her that she is drawing what happened. The class shows their work. When it’s Lucy’s turn, they laugh at the pictures of her “new friend,” Lila the elephant: of the duo playing games, having a tea party, and chasing butterflies. Joey then shows a new picture of the blue dinosaur he met over the weekend. Ms. Martin indulges Lucy with a wink, and Joey keeps making fun of Lucy on the bus on the way home…but as the bus pulls away, a pink trunk gives Lucy a hug….Fletcher’s picture-book debut features a confident girl who doesn’t let the skeptics get her down (much). Lyles’ colored-pencil illustrations (final art not seen) offer varied views of a cartoon-realistic classroom any grade schooler will recognize, although aside from black-haired, light-brown–skinned Joey and Lucy, it’s not particularly diverse.
Nicely addresses bullying without getting nasty. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4998-0156-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 8, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2016
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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