The sense of wonder and awe this artistic board book evokes should not be limited to the Christmas season.
The old-fashioned feel of this extra-large board book invites exploration of the natural world.
Four-line rhyming stanzas on each spread describe the winter woods. In the first, “A little Christmas tree wakes up / and sparkles in the light.” The tree is never harvested; its only decorations are snow and birds. The sequence of events may confuse young children. Initially, the pictures are full of snow. By the third spread, the text and illustration hint at an early spring thaw, but on the next page snow starts to fall again, just in time for “this snowy Christmas night.” The book is pretty enough that this may not matter. Silver foil “snow” on the tree and snowflakes that decorate the otherwise matte pages invite touch. Finding the animals, bugs, and plants hinted at in the text becomes a lift-the-flap game, with most spreads including four flaps. Some are obvious; some blend in with the illustrations so effectively that the flaps can only be found by running a hand across the page. Some of the flaps are also quite small, making them difficult for tiny fingers to manipulate, but overall it is ideal for one-on-one reading and quiet conversation.
The sense of wonder and awe this artistic board book evokes should not be limited to the Christmas season. (Board book. 2-5)Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5362-0311-0
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Big Picture/Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Oct. 15, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2019
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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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes.
A lift-the-flap book gives the littlest trick-or-treaters some practice identifying partygoers under their costumes.
Little Blue Truck and his buddy Toad are off to a party, and they invite readers (and a black cat) along for the ride: “ ‘Beep! Beep! Beep!’ / says Little Blue. / ‘It’s Halloween!’ / You come, too.” As they drive, they are surprised (and joined) by many of their friends in costume. “Who’s that in a tutu / striking a pose / up on the tiniest / tips of her toes? / Under the mask / who do you see?” Lifting the flap unmasks a friend: “ ‘Quack!’ says the duck. / ‘It’s me! It’s me!’ ” The sheep is disguised as a clown, the cow’s a queen, the pig’s a witch, the hen and her chick are pirates, and the horse is a dragon. Not to be left out, Little Blue has a costume, too. The flaps are large and sturdy, and enough of the animals’ characteristic features are visible under and around the costumes that little ones will be able to make successful guesses even on the first reading. Lovely curvy shapes and autumn colors fade to dusky blues as night falls, and children are sure to notice the traditional elements of a Halloween party: apple bobbing, lit jack-o’-lanterns, and punch and treats.
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-544-77253-3
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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