Sweet but standard fare akin to daytime cartoons.
An ambitious lion cub perseveres in disappointment’s wake.
As Leo and Mama stroll the savanna in animation mastermind Esnaashari’s authorial debut, they notice some antelope springing about the riverbanks. Emboldened, Leo declares his intention to scale a nearby rock in a single bound. He squares up, counts down, takes off, and…gets tangled in a shrub. The braggadocious cub blames his bumble on a baleful breeze. His beaming mother notes there wasn’t any wind and suggests he try again. Leo backs up, takes a running start, pushes hard, and…flops face-first in the dirt. Wounded in pride if not body, he attributes this mishap to his considerate nature: Apparently, he stumbled in order to spare a bug underfoot. Doubtful, Mama offers a sympathetic smile. Leo again sets his feet, bounds for glory, grasps the peak, and…slips straight into the mud. Poor Leo! While the lioness tidies her crestfallen cub, they observe a lush ecosystem full of animals jumping and soaring with the greatest of ease. Mama urges Leo to try one last time, and initial reluctance turns to newfound resolve. He runs, jumps, and…summits the stone at last. Mother and son close the book making magnificent tandem leaps. With expressive faces embellished with tattoolike patterns, this lionhearted duo exercise resilience in the face of personal shortcomings and strict realism—but fall squarely into the Disneyfication trap. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-22-inch double-page spreads viewed at 57% of actual size.)
Sweet but standard fare akin to daytime cartoons. (author's note) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5344-4610-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2020
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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