A delightful guide to a perfect bedtime prep.
Residents of Bug Hotel prepare for bed.
A perky ladybug named Dot peers directly at readers from the title page and announces she’s “checking to see who is ready for bed,” adding, “are you?” The initial page turn reveals a deliciously detailed, double-page cross section of Bug Hotel, with guests in their respective rooms engaged in evening activities as Dot arrives at the reception desk in time to “make sure all the other bugs are getting ready for bed.” Poised with her pencil and clipboard, Dot first visits Dung Beetle and joins him in a bedtime bath. Next, she finds Stick Bug selecting pajamas and chooses a polka-dot set for herself. As Fly prepares for tooth-brushing, Dot decides to do likewise. “Pill Bug is on the toilet” when Dot arrives (trailing some toilet paper), prompting her to observe “it’s always a good idea to pee before bed” to guarantee a “dry night.” Dot’s last stop is the room of Bookworm, who is of course reading before bedtime. Dot peruses a picture book. Before heading to bed, Dot reviews her bedtime checklist, but the bugs remind her there’s one last thing to do. The bold, colorful, detail-rich illustrations with their nighttime atmosphere and amusing crawly critters involved in their bedtime routines, the reassuring, repetitive “good night, sleep tight” refrain, and the generous physical format ensure rapt reader participation.
A delightful guide to a perfect bedtime prep. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Nov. 17, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-60537-588-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clavis
Review Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2020
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
Hee haw.
The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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