Next book

MISS LEOPARDA

A truly amazing look at how to cherish nature and build a greener community.

Natural beauty is sacrificed in the name of more space.

Miss Leoparda sleeps in a tree and drives a bus that takes her fellow animals wherever they need to go. One day, she and her passengers see a “little black car coughing up smoke.” As the days pass, more and more cars fill the road, and bus ridership declines. Miss Leoparda stops driving her bus; soon, her tree is cut down to make room for more roads. As the paths get more crowded and the cars continue “huffing and puffing clouds of smoke, stuck in an endless traffic jam,” much to the frustration of the beastly drivers, Miss Leoparda patiently regrows her tree. She also takes to the road on a bicycle, prompting the other citizens to abandon their cars in favor of the greener option. This humorous fable, translated from Russian, explores how our obsession with so-called progress leads to gentrification and the destruction of our communities and the environment. The acrylic and crayon illustrations capture the beauty of untouched land and the dark, crowded vistas of clogged roadways. The expressive, Jon Klassen–like visages of the wildlife perfectly encapsulate the emotions felt by those in similar situations, from the disassociation required by riders on crowded public transit to the exasperation of being stuck in endless traffic.

A truly amazing look at how to cherish nature and build a greener community. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Oct. 22, 2024

ISBN: 9781592704125

Page Count: 56

Publisher: Enchanted Lion Books

Review Posted Online: May 31, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2024

Next book

LITTLE BLUE TRUCK AND RACER RED

From the Little Blue Truck series

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

Awards & Accolades

Likes

  • Readers Vote
  • 75


Our Verdict

  • Our Verdict
  • GET IT


  • IndieBound Bestseller

Next book

THE WONKY DONKEY

Hee haw.

Awards & Accolades

Likes

  • Readers Vote
  • 75


Our Verdict

  • Our Verdict
  • GET IT


  • IndieBound Bestseller

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

Categories:
Close Quickview