A sweet, charming story that could have practical applications.
Debut author Urban presents an illustrated children’s tale about a lost toy, the emotions that come with separation, and solving problems.
A young girl named Ella, like many other kids, has an especially beloved toy: a stuffed bunny named Lola. The animal, in the child’s imagination, hops around, plays with her, and can talk. While on an outing with Ella’s mom—apparently somewhere in England—Lola hops out of the stroller in which Ella is riding and decides to go on an adventure of her own. As a result, Ella and Lola become separated. The little girl looks for Lola for hours, and right before giving up, she enters a park with a pond in which Lola is swimming. She spies her friend, and they finally reunite. Ella gives Lola a bath to clean her up, and the two best friends discuss the adventures they each had over the course of the day and reaffirm how much they mean to each other. Over the course of Urban’s story, the author presents a relatable situation that many children will recognize from their own lives; young readers may very well use this book to help them feel better about losing their own toys. Kalla’s painterly, multimedia full-color illustrations are beautifully executed and fit perfectly with the tone and feeling of the story. The narrative itself is consistently engaging, clearly following the main character’s adventures without being overly long or complex. This book is clearly intended for very young children and is a fine pick for caregivers looking for a meaningful, visually compelling work that may help youngsters deal with a difficult situation.
A sweet, charming story that could have practical applications.Pub Date: June 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-1915641113
Page Count: 30
Publisher: Little Steps/Trafalgar
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
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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