bookshelf

NONI THE PONY COUNTS TO A MILLION

Name: NONI THE PONY COUNTS TO A MILLION
Author: Alison Lester
ISBN: 978-1-66592-228-9

by Alison Lester ; illustrated by Alison Lester ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 3, 2023

Count on this tale to make counting fun!

bookshelf

Noni the Pony and her feline and canine friends have a busy day counting.

Brief rhyming text counts steadily from one to 10 for younger listeners and then makes larger numerical leaps to “dozens of spots,” “hundreds of dots,” “thousands of cars,” and “millions of stars” for children ready to consider larger numbers. The counting words are always in bold type. The book was originally published in Australia, and Noni does count five wallaby pals who come “hip-hopping by,” but she also counts barnyard-, woodland-, and stream-dwelling creatures as they play the day away. Four cows race down the hill. “Seven stout puppies / play hide-and-seek.” “And ten ladybugs / march over the weeds.” In some cases, the number of animals requires a bit of careful observation and arithmetic. While Noni counts four cows, there are only three on one page, and readers must look to the facing page to find the fourth. Illustrations have a soft, dappled look, and Noni’s orange-and-white coloring and the colorful creatures she counts contrast with detailed backgrounds largely in pastel blues, purples, and greens. All the animals are clearly friends enjoying their day. Even the fish “deep in the reeds” don’t seem very worried about the cat poking a paw into the stream. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Count on this tale to make counting fun! (Picture book. 2-7)

Pub Date: Jan. 3, 2023

ISBN: 978-1-66592-228-9

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2022

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS

- BOOK REVIEW
NONI THE PONY RESCUES A JOEY
by Alison Lester ; illustrated by Alison Lester

- BOOK REVIEW
SOPHIE SCOTT GOES SOUTH
by Alison Lester ; illustrated by Alison Lester

- BOOK REVIEW
NONI THE PONY
by Alison Lester & illustrated by Alison Lester

bookshelf

LITTLE BLUE TRUCK AND RACER RED

From the Little Blue Truck series

by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 25, 2025

A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.

bookshelf

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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S TRANSPORTATION

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE BLUE TRUCK MAKES A FRIEND
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry

- BOOK REVIEW
TIME FOR SCHOOL, LITTLE BLUE TRUCK
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by John Joseph

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE BLUE TRUCK'S VALENTINE
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by John Joseph

bookshelf

LITTLE BLUE TRUCK'S CHRISTMAS

by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 23, 2014

Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own...

bookshelf

The sturdy Little Blue Truck is back for his third adventure, this time delivering Christmas trees to his band of animal pals.

The truck is decked out for the season with a Christmas wreath that suggests a nose between headlights acting as eyeballs. Little Blue loads up with trees at Toad’s Trees, where five trees are marked with numbered tags. These five trees are counted and arithmetically manipulated in various ways throughout the rhyming story as they are dropped off one by one to Little Blue’s friends. The final tree is reserved for the truck’s own use at his garage home, where he is welcomed back by the tree salestoad in a neatly circular fashion. The last tree is already decorated, and Little Blue gets a surprise along with readers, as tiny lights embedded in the illustrations sparkle for a few seconds when the last page is turned. Though it’s a gimmick, it’s a pleasant surprise, and it fits with the retro atmosphere of the snowy country scenes. The short, rhyming text is accented with colored highlights, red for the animal sounds and bright green for the numerical words in the Christmas-tree countdown.

Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own tree that will put a twinkle in a toddler’s eyes. (Picture book. 2-5)