Truck lovers will be so enthralled they will probably float right past the visual miscues, at least the first few times...
A boy and his dad see lots of trucks about town.
The duo are mostly in their little red car (seat belts prominently shown, though the boy seems too young for the front seat) when they see all the vehicles that toddlers are famous for loving: excavator, dump truck, concrete mixer, bulldozer, freight trucks, tractor, tow truck, mail truck, school bus, fire truck, “paramedic truck,” garbage truck, recycle truck, city bus and street sweeper. Readers can almost follow a story, imagining the father and son on a road trip. But turn the page, and they are running past the letter carrier, seemingly so the little boy can catch the school bus; in the next spread, they are back in the car and a few later, biking (without helmets) down the street. Nonetheless, Ode’s rhyming couplets will have readers bouncing right along with them, no matter what they are doing: “Concrete mixer roars and rumbles. / See his drum? It turns and tumbles. / Soon he opens up his spout. / All the concrete rushes out.” Beyond the apparent lack of a visual narrative, Culotta’s bright illustrations misstep in at least one spread in which the boy seems noticeably older than in the others. Though the trim is small, the full-bleed pictures prominently feature the trucks and the time the father and son spend together.
Truck lovers will be so enthralled they will probably float right past the visual miscues, at least the first few times around. (Picture book. 2-7)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-61067-313-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kane Miller
Review Posted Online: July 28, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
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A nice but not requisite purchase.
A retelling of the classic fairy tale in board-book format and with a Mexican setting.
Though simplified for a younger audience, the text still relates the well-known tale: mean-spirited stepmother, spoiled stepsisters, overworked Cinderella, fairy godmother, glass slipper, charming prince, and, of course, happily-ever-after. What gives this book its flavor is the artwork. Within its Mexican setting, the characters are olive-skinned and dark-haired. Cultural references abound, as when a messenger comes carrying a banner announcing a “FIESTA” in beautiful papel picado. Cinderella is the picture of beauty, with her hair up in ribbons and flowers and her typically Mexican many-layered white dress. The companion volume, Snow White, set in Japan and illustrated by Misa Saburi, follows the same format. The simplified text tells the story of the beautiful princess sent to the forest by her wicked stepmother to be “done away with,” the dwarves that take her in, and, eventually, the happily-ever-after ending. Here too, what gives the book its flavor is the artwork. The characters wear traditional clothing, and the dwarves’ house has the requisite shoji screens, tatami mats and cherry blossoms in the garden. The puzzling question is, why the board-book presentation? Though the text is simplified, it’s still beyond the board-book audience, and the illustrations deserve full-size books.
A nice but not requisite purchase. (Board book/fairy tale. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-7915-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Playful, engaging, and full of opportunities for empathy—a raucous storytime hit.
Readers try to dislodge a monster from the pages of this emotive and interactive read-aloud.
“OH NO!” the story starts. “There’s a monster in your book!” The blue, round-headed monster with pink horns and a pink-tipped tail can be seen cheerfully munching on the opening page. “Let’s try to get him out,” declares the narrator. Readers are encouraged to shake, tilt, and spin the book around, while the monster careens around an empty background looking scared and lost. Viewers are exhorted to tickle the monster’s feet, blow on the page, and make a really loud noise. Finally, shockingly, it works: “Now he’s in your room!” But clearly a monster in your book is safer than a monster in your room, so he’s coaxed back into the illustrations and lulled to sleep, curled up under one page and cuddling a bit of another like a child with their blankie. The monster’s entirely cute appearance and clear emotional reactions to his treatment add to the interactive aspect, and some young readers might even resist the instructions to avoid hurting their new pal. Children will be brought along on the monster’s journey, going from excited, noisy, and wiggly to calm and steady (one can hope).
Playful, engaging, and full of opportunities for empathy—a raucous storytime hit. (Picture book. 2-7)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5247-6456-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: June 4, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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