A touching story that will appeal to all dog lovers and to older children, including those with limited reading skills.
An appealing golden retriever takes readers through his life as a service dog assisting a retired Army captain living with the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder and a traumatic brain injury.
The story of Tuesday the service dog and his partner was first explored in Montalván’s best-selling memoir, Until Tuesday: A Wounded Warrior and the Golden Retriever Who Saved Him (2011). This story for much younger readers offers a simplified look at the author’s life, with his beloved dog effectively employed as first-person narrator. The use of the canine as storyteller provides some distance from the author’s hardships while highlighting the undeniably charming golden retriever’s winning personality and photogenic expressions. Superb photographs of the author and Tuesday bring their urban lifestyle into sharp focus as they navigate the subway, stairs, taxi rides and visits to parks, as well as their shared life in their apartment. Full-page photographs alternate between smaller views set against backgrounds of mostly blues and purples, establishing a contemporary tone in the book’s thoughtful design. The simple text uses just a few sentences per page, with well-chosen details conveying the challenges Montalván faces in a matter-of-fact way. A concluding note from the author shares more of his history and information on service dogs assisting disabled veterans.
A touching story that will appeal to all dog lovers and to older children, including those with limited reading skills. (Informational picture book. 4-10)Pub Date: May 27, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-59643-891-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2014
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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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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