Thoughtful and empathetic.
A dog challenges a young boy’s need for tidiness.
Nick is super, super neat, and has been all his life. If something is messy, he just has to fix it. Of course, there are some things Nick can’t change, such as other people’s untidy clothes, odd smells, or loud noises. Often, Nick prefers to be on his own, where he can keep things just so, until he starts to feel lonely. One day, Nick’s parents bring home a surprise—a huge, floppy-eared, bushy-tailed, covered-in-leaves-and-slobber, reddish-brown dog! After the initial shock, Nick sets out to “fix it” by giving the loving dog a vigorous bath and hair trim. The two of them go to sleep all neat and tidy, but the next morning, the pooch is somehow a mess again. Soon, the chaos gets to be too much for Nick, but he discovers that “there’s nothing neater than love.” Nick appears to have an anxiety disorder, though that's never explicitly mentioned. His story could have come across as saccharine, but his happy ending feels genuinely earned. The dog is obviously enamored with Nick from the start, and Nick eventually reciprocates. Otis imparts a gentle lesson that letting go of some control can be good. Some of the mixed-media illustrations depict neat, carefully composed scenes, while others explode with raggedy swirls; whether readers prefer order or mayhem, they’ll enjoy this tale. Nick and his parents are tan-skinned, while background human characters are racially diverse.
Thoughtful and empathetic. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: May 7, 2024
ISBN: 9780593530658
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Rocky Pond Books/Penguin
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2024
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
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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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