A perennially fascinating subject, handled honestly but without disgust.
A pair of friends embark on a lesson in all things poo.
Bespectacled Fox points to a pile of poop; Rabbit inadvertently steps in it. “Whose poo?” A page turn reveals that this was “doggy DOO.” Inside, the friends observe a litter box. “Whose poo?” “Kitty POOP. Please scoop.” The pals encounter mouse pellets, elephant dung, seabird guano, whale feces, goose droppings, deer stool, bear scat, pig manure, and (who knew?) otter spraint. All the animals are pictured in the act of nonchalantly producing their specialty. Finally we reach a bathroom and move from “Ew! Baby poo” (an adult disposes of a smelly diaper) through “Yahoo! Potty poo” (a toddler sits on a small potty) to “Ooo …Toilet poo. People poo” (Rabbit and Fox hand toilet paper to an adult on a toilet). A clear, simplified double-page spread shows what happens after the poop is flushed away: Sludge goes to farms, while water, with germs filtered out, goes to rivers. We also learn that poop (from birds) spreads seeds, feeds plants, and more. Finally: What exactly IS poo? The last pages add a half-dozen fascinating facts for older readers and include all the terms for excretion encountered earlier. The information is illuminating and matter-of-factly conveyed. Beautiful layout and clever, colorful collages, more Leo Lionni than Eric Carle, depict diverse humans and make turning the pages an adventure.
A perennially fascinating subject, handled honestly but without disgust. (Informational picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 19, 2024
ISBN: 9781685556372
Page Count: 32
Publisher: The Collective Book Studio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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