Gentle and heartwarming.
A child struggles with feelings of sadness.
An unseen narrator repeats the title phrase to underscore a family’s fatigue. “At the end of the day, sometimes everyone is exhausted. Or bored. Or in a mood.” There’s homework to be done or piano lessons to attend. There’s often no time to play outside, especially if it’s too cold. And don’t forget chores. Even a seemingly small disappointment, like a missing puzzle piece, hangs over the family like a dark cloud. Briefly, though, such as during a family bike ride, things seems OK. What’s going on? The clues are there if readers carefully observe Bontigao’s cozy, digital illustrations. Dad and the children are engaged in a variety of activities, but Mom is absent. Readers eventually realize that she’s far away and sorely missed, seen only on a video call in her military uniform. For she is the missing puzzle piece. When she returns, the family’s emotions pour out, and all is right with their world, now filled with reassuring, comforting sights and sounds and lots of kisses and hugs. The lyrical text is paired with tender visuals that primarily focus on one of the children, who’s by turn confused, sad, and hopeful—and whose situation will elicit commiseration and compassion, especially from other kids in military families. Dad presents Asian, while Mom is brown-skinned, and the children vary in skin tone.
Gentle and heartwarming. (Picture book. 4-9)Pub Date: April 23, 2024
ISBN: 9780593378632
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 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
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
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