A pleasant tale for animal lovers looking for a heartening pick-me-up.
A business-mouse encourages a human girl to pursue her dreams in this picture-book pep talk.
Rodent Tobey lives in a dollhouse owned by a nameless young girl, and the pair are best friends. Sometimes the mouse, wearing a tie and carrying a briefcase, goes away on business trips, but he’s always around when the girl needs him. One day, when she confesses how it makes her sad when other kids are mean to her, he encourages her by saying her future is bright, as she can be anything she wants. Tobey shows this by dressing the part for a number of careers, including an astronomer and Supreme Court judge, and he reminds her, “Don’t let anyone make you feel small / (Actually, you’re pretty tall!).” Debut author Shklaz varies the rhyme scheme several times, but the rhymes are solid, and the changing patterns consistently scan well. Some unusual words (Madame, conquering) may encourage newly independent readers to expand their vocabularies, and lap readers will be entertained by Fritz’s colorful cartoon illustrations. Tobey’s expressive features and the wide array of costumes will inspire giggles, and textured backgrounds add depth. Readers looking for another book about exploring careers or ignoring bullies may find this an uplifting addition to those crowded fields.
A pleasant tale for animal lovers looking for a heartening pick-me-up.Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2021
ISBN: 979-8-9850346-6-0
Page Count: 34
Publisher: Albatross Book Co
Review Posted Online: Jan. 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.
A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.
Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
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