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LITTLE ELLIOT, FALL FRIENDS

Name: LITTLE ELLIOT, FALL FRIENDS
Author: Mike Curato
ISBN: 978-1-62779-640-8

From the Little Elliot series

by Mike Curato ; illustrated by Mike Curato ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 29, 2017

A yummy, happy resolution—perfectly delectable to the preschool crowd.

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Little Elliot (a small, white pachyderm with pastel polka dots) and his bestie, Mouse, need a respite from the big city’s grating sounds, slightly sickening smells, and frenetic pace.

The fourth in Curato’s Little Elliot series opens in an unnamed but recognizable New York City (again realized in sepia tones and 1940s fashions) but quickly follows the two companions into the rolling hills of the country. While young readers will enjoy tracking the friends’ bucolic autumnal escape (lolling under apple boughs, frolicking in leaf piles, crawling through logs, hiding in pumpkin patches), they might miss the pre–World War II period details of Little Elliot’s earlier urban adventures, those grainy snapshots from another era in felted browns. Indeed, all appears golden, barn red, and mossy green in the smooth, digitally colored farmland. When Little Elliot finds himself alone in a cornfield at nightfall, a double-page spread of spreading dusky darkness effectively breaks up the crisp clarity of the sunny country narrative with palpable fear. “He waited and waited, but Mouse never came.” Anxiety is banished when the whiff of apple pie tickles Little Elliot’s trunk and leads him to the waiting arms of Mouse and new barnyard friends—and a sweet feast!

A yummy, happy resolution—perfectly delectable to the preschool crowd. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: Aug. 29, 2017

ISBN: 978-1-62779-640-8

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Henry Holt

Review Posted Online: May 23, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2017

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS

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WHAT ARE YOU?
by Christian Trimmer ; illustrated by Mike Curato

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WHERE IS BINA BEAR?
by Mike Curato ; illustrated by Mike Curato

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THE SHAREY GODMOTHER
by Samantha Berger ; illustrated by Mike Curato

WHEN I TALK TO GOD, I TALK ABOUT FEELINGS

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WHEN I TALK TO GOD, I TALK ABOUT FEELINGS

by Chrissy Metz & Bradley Collins ; illustrated by Lisa Fields ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 4, 2025

A tender book to help little ones make sense of the emotions around prayer.

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Actor Metz and songwriter Collins join illustrator Fields in their second faith-related title for young children.

Instead of focusing on the language of prayer—what to say or how to say it—this book explores a topic central to the lives of the very young: their feelings around talking to God. Rhymes and near-rhymes in the AABB verses enumerate the simple challenges and triumphs experienced by a series of animals: “Sometimes I’m sad, not sure what to do. / There are days I feel teary, unhappy, or blue. / I fell off a log. I’m embarrassed and hurt. / My coat and paws are all covered in dirt.” An accompanying illustration depicts a sad wolf pup, a definite contrast to its siblings, who are delighting in their play. The highlight of the book is Fields’ animal characters. Whether happy, nervous, or sad, their expressive faces are easy to read, and their feelings will be familiar to young tots. The beaver’s frustration is palpable, and the tears in the scared raccoon’s eyes may just make readers’ own eyes well up. Some of the animals have a God stand-in to help them with their feelings—a friend or family member—but the final spread shows all the individual animals coming together in a couple of group hugs that express where children can find support (and sweetly defy predator–prey relationships).

A tender book to help little ones make sense of the emotions around prayer. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: March 4, 2025

ISBN: 9780593691366

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Flamingo Books

Review Posted Online: Nov. 9, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2024

Categories:

CHILDREN'S RELIGIOUS FICTION | CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

- BOOK REVIEW
WHEN I TALK TO GOD, I TALK ABOUT YOU
by Chrissy Metz & Bradley Collins ; illustrated by Lisa Fields

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DIGGERSAURS

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...

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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)