A clever, absurdist tale laced with strong takeaways.
What happens when unruly children show up on an island full of walruses whose only answer to questions is “yes”?
“On our island, every simple question had just one simple answer: Yes.” Usually, this works out well. Our narrator—a walrus wearing a pink cap—eagerly says yes to an offer of a sprinkled, frosted doughnut from a vendor. And yes is the perfect response if someone asks if you want birthday cake or to stay up late. But if someone asks you to don an itchy shirt, it doesn’t work out quite so well. Enter the Kid, a tan-skinned child who takes advantage of the walruses’ language deficit. The Kid interrupts a game of Walrus Ball, amasses all the island’s doughnuts, and uses the narrator’s toothbrush to splatter paint all over a cat. When asked to stop, the Kid responds, “No.” The narrator tries to say “no” when the Kid insists upon a piggyback ride but only manages sounds such as “niff” and “nerp”—wonderfully illustrated through the creative use of fonts. Soon, more young miscreants arrive, wreaking havoc. Funny, accessible Claymation-inspired art depicts the walruses’ difficult mastery of pronouncing the word no—a clear metaphor for the challenges of standing up for oneself. Before this didactic yet lighthearted tale comes to a close, the characters all learn how “yes” and “no” can work in partnership. Human characters vary in skin tone.
A clever, absurdist tale laced with strong takeaways. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: July 16, 2024
ISBN: 9780735272415
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: April 20, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 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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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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