A pleasant-enough diversion, but the game without the book has more staying power.
Three babies play peekaboo with animal friends in this simple question-and-answer board book.
The simple and repetitive format of this board book gives it high appeal for very young readers, who also get to play along. The question “What game does baby want to play?” and its answer, “Baby says, PEEKABOO!” are repeated with three different baby-and-animal pairs. The final page features a mirror with an invitation for readers to say “PEEKABOO” too. The illustrations feature photographs of babies (none with dark skin) and animals against an all-white background with clip-art–style props such as a box and a beach bucket digitally collaged in. Thankfully, the babies and animals are adorable, because these embellishments are decidedly lackluster. The repetition of the text and the familiarity of the peekaboo game make it an appropriate read for infants and young toddlers, who will also enjoy gazing at themselves and their caregivers in the mirror at the book’s end. A companion title, Who Says Hippity Hop?, asks readers which animal says the titular phrase, passing up various farm animals until readers land on the correct hopping creature. Easter baskets and eggs accompany the photographs in this one, which also includes a mirror at the end. It is both nonsensical in its premise and less engaging for infants and toddlers than the more versatile Peekaboo.
A pleasant-enough diversion, but the game without the book has more staying power. (Board book. 6 mos.-2)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-68437-913-2
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Highlights Press
Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2020
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
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own...
The sturdy Little Blue Truck is back for his third adventure, this time delivering Christmas trees to his band of animal pals.
The truck is decked out for the season with a Christmas wreath that suggests a nose between headlights acting as eyeballs. Little Blue loads up with trees at Toad’s Trees, where five trees are marked with numbered tags. These five trees are counted and arithmetically manipulated in various ways throughout the rhyming story as they are dropped off one by one to Little Blue’s friends. The final tree is reserved for the truck’s own use at his garage home, where he is welcomed back by the tree salestoad in a neatly circular fashion. The last tree is already decorated, and Little Blue gets a surprise along with readers, as tiny lights embedded in the illustrations sparkle for a few seconds when the last page is turned. Though it’s a gimmick, it’s a pleasant surprise, and it fits with the retro atmosphere of the snowy country scenes. The short, rhyming text is accented with colored highlights, red for the animal sounds and bright green for the numerical words in the Christmas-tree countdown.
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own tree that will put a twinkle in a toddler’s eyes. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-544-32041-3
Page Count: 24
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2014
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