Every new Toot & Puddle adventure is an eagerly awaited event, and while this one arrives on many levels, it takes a wrong turn somewhere and leaves someone at the station. Once again, Hobbie’s (I’ll Be Home For Christmas, not reviewed, etc.) signature style drives the story with beautiful and witty watercolors complementing, as unwritten text, the intrepid storytelling. Actually, Toot off on another perambulation drives the plot, and the practical Puddle is left to mow the lawn in a show of friendship. But he begins to worry and journeys out into the woods of Woodcock Pocket to find the tardy Toot. Following Toot’s tracks logically leads to railroad tracks, which lead to . . . finding his friend in France. But readers see nothing of that country that might have been memorably rendered in Hobbie’s charmingly detailed style. Furthermore, the happy dénouement takes a turn at the airport into an ending that feels like it was meant for a different book. It’s a large leap of readers’ faith to go from a French airport to the top of the Himalayas with the turn of a page, however young the reader is. Hobbie has always honored children’s intelligence and sense of wonder and tries in this outing, although she falls short with this whimsical twist, which inexplicably contributes to the title. Never mind. In Holly Hobbie’s world, “whim” rhymes with “friend” and readers will forgive her this whim and remain her friend, still eagerly awaiting the next Toot & Puddle adventure. (Picture book. 4-7)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-316-36513-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2002
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
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.
The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 21, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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