A cat caper with a happy end for the youngest listeners.
Curious cats can get into lots of trouble, even when napping….
“Kitty cat. / Pretty cat. // Living in the city cat.” A fluffy, gray cat and her little girl play happily in their city apartment. “Mosey cat. / Nosey cat. / Curl up nice and cozy cat.” When the kitty goes for a stroll, she finds a flatbed truck out front. There’s a bright, comfy chair in the sun: the perfect place for a nap. She curls up out of sight, and the truck starts up. The cat that napped has been catnapped! All of the shaking and quaking wake the poor kitty, and when the truck slows down, she jumps out and crashes into a trash can. “Howl cat. / Yowl cat. / Cries a hurt ‘MEEEE-OWL!’ cat.” A nice lady finds her and takes her to the pound for medical attention. Meanwhile, her little girl is making and posting fliers and calling the local shelters. Will the happy duo be reunited? Hernandez’s mixed-media, cartoon illustrations of a wide-eyed cat and her dark-skinned little human extend her spare, rhythmic text, helping to pack a lot of story into few words. Little cat lovers will see themselves and their devoted, playful felines in the tale and easily memorize the words.
A cat caper with a happy end for the youngest listeners. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: June 12, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-399-16438-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: March 11, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2014
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
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BOOK REVIEW
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes.
A lift-the-flap book gives the littlest trick-or-treaters some practice identifying partygoers under their costumes.
Little Blue Truck and his buddy Toad are off to a party, and they invite readers (and a black cat) along for the ride: “ ‘Beep! Beep! Beep!’ / says Little Blue. / ‘It’s Halloween!’ / You come, too.” As they drive, they are surprised (and joined) by many of their friends in costume. “Who’s that in a tutu / striking a pose / up on the tiniest / tips of her toes? / Under the mask / who do you see?” Lifting the flap unmasks a friend: “ ‘Quack!’ says the duck. / ‘It’s me! It’s me!’ ” The sheep is disguised as a clown, the cow’s a queen, the pig’s a witch, the hen and her chick are pirates, and the horse is a dragon. Not to be left out, Little Blue has a costume, too. The flaps are large and sturdy, and enough of the animals’ characteristic features are visible under and around the costumes that little ones will be able to make successful guesses even on the first reading. Lovely curvy shapes and autumn colors fade to dusky blues as night falls, and children are sure to notice the traditional elements of a Halloween party: apple bobbing, lit jack-o’-lanterns, and punch and treats.
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-544-77253-3
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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