Raucous storytime fun.
A cloven-hoofed librarian can’t be too bad…right?
A pinkish-purple-haired, blue-lidded alpaca has suddenly and inexplicably taken over the library. Alpacas may be soft and cuddly, but as the narrator (and title) warns, “Alpacas make TERRIBLE librarians!” They make distracting sounds, and their angry noises (“AHHH HEEE HAWWW HEEE”) are even louder than their calm ones (“Cluck cluck cluck cluck hum hum hum hum”). Alpacas love to host storytime outside (“If there’s one thing this librarian loves, it’s grass”), but if you need to use the bathroom once you’re out there, the alpaca will direct you to the “communal dung pile.” Most importantly, don’t try to check out a book about a llama—the alpaca will get very upset, and a slobbery reprimand might come flying your way. Packed with alpaca facts, the cheeky narrative might also start a discussion on censorship with young readers (the alpaca tosses out all books about other animals). Bright illustrations and energetic text placement, with tilted angles and bold-faced words, add to the chaos the alpaca brings. The younger, human library enthusiasts are a diverse bunch.
Raucous storytime fun. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2024
ISBN: 9781957655284
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Gnome Road Publishing
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 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
Hee haw.
The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018
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BOOK REVIEW
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