A stirring defense of a child’s right to like—and read—what they like.
A boy’s love of tractors knows no bounds.
Little, bespectacled Frankie McGee proudly informs readers in rhyming verse that instead of the park, Frankie and Mom are bound for the library, which is presided over by blue-haired Miss Squid. To Mom’s chagrin, Frankie has eyes only for yet another tractor book, and her child is only too happy to enumerate their charms. As Frankie does, Løvlie presents drivers in a diverse range of races and genders, all gunning their tractors through mud or up steep hills. When Mom tries diverting Frankie’s attention to alternative modes of transportation, Frankie is uninterested. Her protestations are quashed by Miss Squid, who assures Frankie, “Well, you know yourself best. / When you want something different, just come and find me. / A kid who likes books is a nice thing to see.” As Frankie tells Mom, “I like books—that’s what matters. Not what they’re about.” Caregivers of similarly tunnel-visioned offspring will identify closely with Mom’s objections to more of the same, and those children will be happy to receive Miss Squid’s support. For fellow tractor lovers, Frankie’s systematic explanation of everything from their interchangeable parts to their brands will legitimize their love. Løvlie’s art exemplifies a halcyon world of tractors coupled with an idyllic children’s library filled with nooks, bright light, and a loving librarian. Characters present White. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9.5-by-19-inch double-page spreads viewed at 33.5% of actual size.)
A stirring defense of a child’s right to like—and read—what they like. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-301918-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 24, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2021
Sadly, the storytelling runs aground.
A little red sleigh has big Christmas dreams.
Although the detailed, full-color art doesn’t anthropomorphize the protagonist (which readers will likely identify as a sled and not a sleigh), a close third-person text affords the object thoughts and feelings while assigning feminine pronouns. “She longed to become Santa’s big red sleigh,” reads an early line establishing the sleigh’s motivation to leave her Christmas-shop home for the North Pole. Other toys discourage her, but she perseveres despite creeping self-doubt. A train and truck help the sleigh along, and when she wishes she were big, fast, and powerful like them, they offer encouragement and counsel patience. When a storm descends after the sleigh strikes out on her own, an unnamed girl playing in the snow brings her to a group of children who all take turns riding the sleigh down a hill. When the girl brings her home, the sleigh is crestfallen she didn’t reach the North Pole. A convoluted happily-ever-after ending shows a note from Santa that thanks the sleigh for giving children joy and invites her to the North Pole next year. “At last she understood what she was meant to do. She would build her life up spreading joy, one child at a time.” Will she leave the girl’s house to be gifted to other children? Will she stay and somehow also reach ever more children? Readers will be left wondering. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 31.8% of actual size.)
Sadly, the storytelling runs aground. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-72822-355-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2020
While there are many rhyming truck books out there, this stands out for being a collection of poems.
Rhyming poems introduce children to anthropomorphized trucks of all sorts, as well as the jobs that they do.
Adorable multiethnic children are the drivers of these 16 trucks—from construction equipment to city trucks, rescue vehicles and a semi—easily standing in for readers, a point made very clear on the final spread. Varying rhyme schemes and poem lengths help keep readers’ attention. For the most part, the rhymes and rhythms work, as in this, from “Cement Mixer”: “No time to wait; / he can’t sit still. / He has to beg your pardon. / For if he dawdles on the way, / his slushy load will harden.” Slonim’s trucks each sport an expressive pair of eyes, but the anthropomorphism stops there, at least in the pictures—Vestergaard sometimes takes it too far, as in “Bulldozer”: “He’s not a bully, either, / although he’s big and tough. / He waits his turn, plays well with friends, / and pushes just enough.” A few trucks’ jobs get short shrift, to mixed effect: “Skid-Steer Loader” focuses on how this truck moves without the typical steering wheel, but “Semi” runs with a royalty analogy and fails to truly impart any knowledge. The acrylic-and-charcoal artwork, set against white backgrounds, keeps the focus on the trucks and the jobs they are doing.
While there are many rhyming truck books out there, this stands out for being a collection of poems. (Picture book/poetry. 3-6)Pub Date: Aug. 27, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-7636-5078-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 28, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2013
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