by Lynn Rowe Reed ; illustrated by Brett Helquist ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 31, 2016
Welcome to the spring bookshelf, Bear. So glad you like berries! (Picture book. 3-6)
After waking up from hibernation, Bear is starved. Breakfast is in order, but the perplexed ursine cannot put a paw on exactly what it should be; it starts with the letter B….
It can’t be friend Bunny, who informs Bear, “I am too skinny to taste good” but will help with the search. The pair set off and meet up with Bumblebee. Before Bear can get any ideas, Bumblebee stings it on the nose, and Bear quickly decides to keep looking, now with the insect’s help as well. Now there are three on the breakfast search. Bit by bit the search party grows as they encounter Boa (who offers some bark), a bat (who is too bony for bears), and Bluebird (who needs to take care of her beautiful babies). Eventually, in a nail-biting sequence over three double-page spreads, they spot a brown-skinned child. Could it possibly be that this is the “B!” Bear is looking for? Children are clearly meant to see a boy here and supply the story's punch line, but the word "Boy" is never printed on the page. Readers will be relieved to find it’s the “Berries!!!” the child has been gathering. The story ends with everyone, child included, taking a nap after a bountiful breakfast of berries. Helquist’s charming acrylic-and-oil illustrations are very expressive, anthropomorphizing the animals just enough to engage but making sure Bear’s canines are evident at all times. The spread in which the animals wonder anxiously if they have finally found Bear’s “B!” is priceless.
Welcome to the spring bookshelf, Bear. So glad you like berries! (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 31, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-226455-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2016
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by Michael Whaite ; illustrated by Michael Whaite ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 2, 2019
Count on construction die-hards falling in love, but discerning readers would be wise to look elsewhere for their...
Less ambitious than Chris Gall’s widely known Dinotrux (2009) and sequels, this British import systematically relegates each dinosaur/construction-equipment hybrid to its most logical job.
The title figures are introduced as bigger than both diggers and dinosaurs, and rhyming text and two construction-helmeted kids show just what these creatures are capable of. Each diggersaur has a specific job to do and a distinct sound effect. The dozersaurus moves rocks with a “SCRAAAAPE!!!” while the rollersaurus flattens lumps with a cheery “TOOT TOOT!!” Each diggersaur is numbered, with 12 in all, allowing this to be a counting book on the sly. As the diggersaurs (not all of which dig) perform jobs that regular construction equipment can do, albeit on a larger scale, there is no particular reason why any of them should have dinosaurlike looks other than just ’cause. Peppy computer art tries valiantly to attract attention away from the singularly unoriginal text. “Diggersaurs dig with bites so BIG, / each SCOOP creates a crater. // They’re TOUGH and STRONG / with necks so long— / they’re super EXCAVATORS!” Far more interesting are the two human characters, a white girl and a black boy, that flit about the pictures offering commentary and action. Much of the fun of the book can be found in trying to spot them on every two-page spread.
Count on construction die-hards falling in love, but discerning readers would be wise to look elsewhere for their dino/construction kicks. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 2, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-9848-4779-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Jan. 14, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2019
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by Michael Whaite ; illustrated by Michael Whaite
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by Michael Whaite ; illustrated by Michael Whaite
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by John Joseph ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 22, 2019
A sweet reminder that it’s easy to weather a storm with the company and kindness of friends.
Is it a stormy-night scare or a bedtime book? Both!
Little Blue Truck and his good friend Toad are heading home when a storm lets loose. Before long, their familiar, now very nervous barnyard friends (Goat, Hen, Goose, Cow, Duck, and Pig) squeeze into the garage. Blue explains that “clouds bump and tumble in the sky, / but here inside we’re warm and dry, / and all the thirsty plants below / will get a drink to help them grow!” The friends begin to relax. “Duck said, loud as he could quack it, / ‘THUNDER’S JUST A NOISY RACKET!’ ” In the quiet after the storm, the barnyard friends are sleepy, but the garage is not their home. “ ‘Beep!’ said Blue. ‘Just hop inside. / All aboard for the bedtime ride!’ ” Young readers will settle down for their own bedtimes as Blue and Toad drop each friend at home and bid them a good night before returning to the garage and their own beds. “Blue gave one small sleepy ‘Beep.’ / Then Little Blue Truck fell fast asleep.” Joseph’s rich nighttime-blue illustrations (done “in the style of [series co-creator] Jill McElmurry”) highlight the power of the storm and capture the still serenity that follows. Little Blue Truck has been chugging along since 2008, but there seems to be plenty of gas left in the tank.
A sweet reminder that it’s easy to weather a storm with the company and kindness of friends. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 22, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-328-85213-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
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