A relentless, single-minded canine’s quest proves to be a rib-tickling treat.
A determined dog’s emotions run the gamut while in pursuit of the impossible-to-resist “treat.”
Waking to an undefined scent, a pudgy pooch follows its nose to a little girl nibbling some cereal. Expecting she will share, it watches her toss the last O-shaped morsel into her mouth, announcing, “treat.” Finding another child eating a hotdog, the dog rolls onto its back to attract attention, but she ignores the exposed tummy. Equally disappointed in the treat quest by a boy drawing, a woman sleeping, and a man brushing his teeth, the desperate dog fails to swipe the baby’s bottle and despairs after finding its dish filled with inedible toys. Dejected, the dog naps, haunted by surreal dreams of treats, awakening to more cries of “treat.” Is this another false lead or the real deal? As in Ball (2013), Sullivan spins a hilarious minidrama around a hyperactive canine and a single word of text. Here, “treat” appears and reappears on nearly every page or frame in a word bubble above the dog’s head or one of the children’s. Along with exaggerated facial expressions and body language, variations in punctuation, typeface, and size convey the dog’s changing moods. Its family appears to be African-American and includes grandparents as well as the appealing passel of tots. Cartoonlike illustrations, precisely drawn in digitally colored pencil, perfectly capture the portly, perky-eared, wide-eyed canine’s treat mania.
A relentless, single-minded canine’s quest proves to be a rib-tickling treat. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-544-47270-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 8, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2016
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
Hee haw.
The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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