Unicorn buffs and all kids lucky enough to have grandparents will appreciate this tender, knowing tale.
Time changes some things—but not all.
Emma loves unicorns. Her bedroom walls are covered with unicorn posters, and she owns loads of unicorn toys and dolls. Her indulgent, tattooed, long-haired, long-bearded dad reads her stories about unicorns every night before bed. Guess what costumes they wear at Halloween, with Emma riding on Dad’s back, calling out, “GIDDY UP, UNICORN!”? Time has a way of passing, though, and interests inevitably change. As Emma grows up, her passions turn from unicorns to novels about vampires; wall space gives way to posters of singers. Eventually, Emma leaves home to start her own family; the unicorns are stored in the closet. Happily, Emma’s daughter, Elna, loves unicorns as much as her mom once did. It’s a good thing Grandpa kept all the unicorn paraphernalia. When Elna visits, Grandpa gives her plenty of unicorn-back rides and even lets her take the whole box of unicorns home. For the first time in ages, his house appears to be devoid of unicorns. Or is it? What’s that tattoo on Grandpa’s belly? This sweet, wistful import, originally published in Spain and translated from Spanish, considers the inexorable passage of time and how happy, loving memories and traditions enrich new generations. The colorful digital illustrations are filled with warmth and humor. The protagonists are light-skinned.
Unicorn buffs and all kids lucky enough to have grandparents will appreciate this tender, knowing tale. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2024
ISBN: 9781623544850
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.
The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 21, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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