A meditation on speaking one’s needs with a good message but uneven presentation.
A solitary toadstool finds support in unexpected places in this whimsical debut picture book.
When a toadstool realizes how alone he feels, he cries, and the sound carries into the nearby forest. His woodland neighbors—animal and fairy alike—rush to find the source of the sorrow: “They put down their nuts and seeds, / Stopped nibbling their grass and clover, / Retired their hammers deep in the earth, / And the spinning of orbs was over.” Although the neighbors listen and offer support, the toadstool’s still sad. But as he’s surrounded by love, he’s able to let his despair—in the form of spores—float away; soon, many other small toadstools surround him. With his new friends, he’s able to leave his loneliness behind. The message about getting community help is strong, and Culpepper’s fantastical setting lends itself well to its exploration. The spore-release aspect doesn’t quite work, and the fact that the resulting toadstools are essentially his children goes unmentioned. The rhymes generally scan well, but uncommon words (plight, comradery) make this best suited for reading aloud. Arthur’s pen-and-watercolor illustrations emphasize the fairy-tale feel, but some images render depth better than others, and occasional images don’t match the action of the text, such as the fairy hearing the toadstool’s call.
A meditation on speaking one’s needs with a good message but uneven presentation.Pub Date: Sept. 22, 2022
ISBN: 9798985777208
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Weave Sunshine Publishing
Review Posted Online: Nov. 8, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
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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
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