An effective, relatable depiction of a frustrating and all-too-common experience.
In this Swiss import, Worm solicits the help of a friend when his beloved hat goes missing.
Worm runs a successful lost-and-found office. He’s shocked when he readies himself to leave for work one day and realizes he can’t find his hat. Worm’s unfamiliar with losing things himself, so he calls on best friend Seal for assistance. Worm gets frustrated while searching for the hat, but ultimately Seal’s good advice proves true when the cap eventually turns up. Seal’s three-step process for locating lost items is one that many little readers will find helpful, and Worm’s very real anger at the situation is relatable. Worm himself is a sweet little guy, peach-colored with black rings. He’s anthropomorphized, with red cheeks and a friendly smile, the end of his body serving as a sort of hand as he holds a pencil and types on the computer. Seal is equally darling, donning an apron and stirring pancake batter in an attempt to boost Worm’s spirits. Some illustrations are spread across two pages, while others convey action with a series of four panels on a single page—a design choice that keeps the story moving and gives readers plenty to take in. The final page consists of an array of lost objects hidden throughout the book for readers to find.
An effective, relatable depiction of a frustrating and all-too-common experience. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2024
ISBN: 9780735845572
Page Count: 32
Publisher: NorthSouth
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
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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