A brief but thoughtful tale of community and personal growth.
With the support of friends, a caterpillar transforms into a butterfly in Schustrin’s picture book.
A “grumpy” green caterpillar considers himself “strange,” “ugly,” and “slow” and believes the other animals—including a bunny, frog, and an owl—don’t like him. However, they admire the caterpillar very much and know that “a change was soon to come” for him. The narrator explains that he has “a secret gift that lived inside his heart” that “he could open at any time / And a new life he would start.” One day, the caterpillar takes a nap in a leaf; when he wakes, he’s shocked to discover he’s a new creature. The animals gather for a musical celebration in the moonlight. Although the story of a caterpillar’s transformation is common in children’s literature, Schustrin notably uses it to remind young readers that everyone’s worthy of encouragement and support. The tale also underscores the importance of building self-esteem and embracing change. Larenas’ vibrant full-color illustrations feature charming trees, flowers, and leaves, while gradient skyscapes in deep tones offset glowing details, such as the moon and stars at night. Readers will enjoy the festive scene in which animals play instruments, including a frog shaking a tambourine and a turtle with a drum.
A brief but thoughtful tale of community and personal growth.Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-73708-560-7
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Ava Bear Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
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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