A gentle lesson that being optimistic brings rewards, as does having a very good friend.
Look on the bright side.
Pip, a light-skinned girl, and Parker, a brown-skinned boy who lives in the building next door, are best pals who love doing stuff together; they’re so attuned to each other that, often, they don’t have to speak. Sometimes they do, though, because Pip gets upset when even small mishaps occur and she doesn’t know what to do. Parker always sees the upsides—the “silver linings”—of worrisome situations and dreams up happy solutions. For instance, when Pip’s yellow crayon breaks in two, Parker points out that the friends now both have yellow crayons. And when they can’t locate their toy boat to sail in the park, Parker suggests making paper boats instead. And so it goes until a messy mishap occurs to Parker. Can Pip discover the silver lining this time? The bright side is…she can and does—sweetly, ingeniously, and wordlessly. This endearing tale doesn’t say anything new about friendship and kindness, but it conveys these themes warmly and reassuringly and will be appreciated by young readers. The charming illustrations digitally combine artwork created with hand-cut rubber stamps, stencils, acrylic paint, colored pencils, and oil pastels. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A gentle lesson that being optimistic brings rewards, as does having a very good friend. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 28, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-06-299590-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2022
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
A sweet notion that falls flat.
A hit song reimagined as a book about parental love.
Featured in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn—Part 1, Perri’s “A Thousand Years” deals with the speaker’s fear of romantic love. In picture-book form, it explores a parent’s unwavering love for a child, who grows from an infant into a toddler over the course of the narrative. The caregiver expresses awe when the youngster learns to stand and fear that the child might fall while beginning to walk. “I have spent every day waiting for you,” the parent says. “Darling, don’t be afraid.” What the child might fear isn’t clear from the joyful balloon- and rainbow-filled illustrations. The story borders on cloying, and words that might work when sung and accompanied by music don’t sound fresh on the page: “Time goes by. / You grow ever stronger as you fly.” The refrain, however, is a lovely sentiment: “I have loved you for a thousand years. / I’ll love you for a thousand more.” Perri’s legion of fans may flock to this version, illustrated by Ruiz with sparkling stars, bubbles, and big-eyed toddlers, but it doesn’t hold together as a narrative or an ode, as it’s billed, and it’s a long way from the original song. The child is tan-skinned, the parent is lighter-skinned, and other characters are diverse.
A sweet notion that falls flat. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 1, 2025
ISBN: 9780593622599
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025
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