An engaging tale about canine skill sets and service dogs’ training, with moments of comedy.
In this picture book, a pooch waiting for a morning walk dreams of myriad adventures.
Yellow, floppy-eared Kirby must go back to sleep while Casey works on a computer. He dreams that he is writing his own book, The Case of the Missing Bones, featuring “Sherlock Hound.” Kirby’s dreams continue, influenced by the noises of cars outside. Facing pages show a dog napping on one side and a canine starring in a dream on the other. Kirby the King gives bones to dogs; Kirby the singer howls Elvis Presley songs. Eventually, Casey calls “Lights! It will help you sleep if you turn the lights off.” This is the first hint in Rossmassler’s narrative that Kirby’s skills are extraordinary—a fact that becomes clear when blond, White Casey finally appears to take the canine outdoors, holding his leash as he walks alongside her wheelchair. An afterword explains service dogs’ abilities, but readers may be disappointed that they do not seeKirby turning off lights, closing drawers, or retrieving items. Instead, they glimpse the fantasy pursuits that he dreams about, like painting and snowboarding. The author’s watercolor paintings accurately and lovingly capture the movement of a pooch at rest, and visual humor comes from the occasional anthropomorphizing in Kirby’s dream world. This work, full of enjoyable, lighthearted musings about canine thoughts, may prove intriguing for young wheelchair users working with service dogs for the first time.
An engaging tale about canine skill sets and service dogs’ training, with moments of comedy.Pub Date: Jan. 11, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-73694-113-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bookcredenza Publishing
Review Posted Online: June 20, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
