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BOB THE ARTIST

Striking art adds levity to the book’s anti-bullying message

Teasing brings out a bird’s inner artist.

Bob is a black, crowlike bird with a red beak and very long, skinny legs. He becomes self-conscious about his legs when he goes out for a walk and is teased by onlookers. “Eeeek! Look at those skinny legs!” comments Cat. “Oooh! Look at that funny stick walk,” says Owl. “Oh! How puny your legs are!” remark a crowd of other birds, identical to Bob except with fatter legs. Bob goes to great lengths to increase the diameter of his legs. He works out at the gym, eats a pile of sausages at the restaurant, and attempts to find clothing to camouflage his legs. Inspiration comes at the art museum, where he sees many different textures and patterns in the paintings on the walls. In a Matisse-style eureka moment, Bob realizes that by painting his beak in a multitude of art-inspired designs, he can gain public admiration for his beautiful beak, and his legs will no longer be the focus of attention. Each day he paints his beak in the style of a different artist or just with abstract bright patterns. He garners admiring comments from his previous critics, and now no one notices his legs. British artist Deuchars' expressive hand-lettering and bold, splashy ink-and-watercolor art stand out against minimalist backgrounds; such quirky details as a cat created with thumbprints charm. Unfortunately, aside from Matisse and Pollock, the inspirational sources for Bob’s designs are not named.

Striking art adds levity to the book’s anti-bullying message . (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: April 26, 2016

ISBN: 978-1-78067-767-5

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Laurence King

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016

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DON'T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE SLEIGH!

A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.

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Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.

This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”

A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)

Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023

ISBN: 9781454952770

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Union Square Kids

Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023

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GOOD NIGHT, LITTLE BLUE TRUCK

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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