A revision that will still provoke reservations.
A Christmas picture book from the 1960s gets some updates.
Brown and De Witt’s 1966 collaboration about a lonely, solitary, kindhearted mouse who leaves a gift of cheese for Santa will be recognizable to many—including, perhaps, some who eschewed it for outmoded gender roles and racial stereotyping in a spread introducing the protagonist’s imaginary playmates. The original text reads, “The little girls would bring their dolls / And dress up and have tea. / The boys would all play cowboys / Or be Eskimos / Or Spanish / But when he’d try to touch them, / Like a bubble they would vanish.” The accompanying illustrations show “little girl” mice in hats and dresses for a tea party and boys with stereotypical costumes and props for their pretend play. The updated version uses the word “Inuit” instead of “Eskimo” but retains the concept of playacting ethnicity and the stereotypical illustrations of a matador and a harpoon-wielding, fur-clad rodent figure. On a brighter note, the revised text rejects strict gender norms and says, “some of them would bring their dolls [and] there were others who’d play cowboys.” Abetted by an expansion of page count from 20 to 32, changes in design and layout make for a cleaner look in the new version that will enhance read-alouds, but even massaged, the spread about playmates still sounds an off note.
A revision that will still provoke reservations. (Picture book. 2-7)Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5344-3793-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2019
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 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
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