bookshelf

LITTLE TRACTOR LEARNS HOW TO SHARE

Name: LITTLE TRACTOR LEARNS HOW TO SHARE
Author: Natalie Quintart
ISBN: 9798890630056

From the Little Tractor series , Vol. 5

by Natalie Quintart ; illustrated by Philippe Goossens ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 23, 2024

Make room in the barnyard—and on the shelf—for this one!

bookshelf

A bright red tractor learns to share.

Little Tractor lives on a farm with plenty of pals. Spring is on its way, and he’s happy, at least until a pair of swallows build a nest in his barn. They require an open window to fly in and out of in order to gather food and nest materials, but that leaves Little Tractor cold and wet during a heavy rain—and he soon finds himself spattered with bird poop. When the farm animals come to visit the baby birds, Little Tractor “feels crowded out of his own barn.” Life with the swallows is noisy, messy, and distressingly different. Irritated, he yells at them, and one of the startled babies falls…and, luckily, spreads her wings and flies. Later, Little Tractor befriends the baby swallow, named Adele. Little Tractor is finally happy to share his barn with the swallow family; when the farm animals work together to scrub Little Tractor’s hood until it shines, “His heart fills with the love for his friends, new and old.” Originally published in Belgium and the Netherlands, this simple, slightly old-fashioned tale quietly captures the trials of sharing space and models the healing value of friendship. Minor tweaks to his eyes and mouth convey Little Tractor’s annoyance, surprise, and delight. Little Tractor is the centerpiece of the illustrations, set against detailed but uncluttered backgrounds, making this book a good storytime read.

Make room in the barnyard—and on the shelf—for this one! (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: July 23, 2024

ISBN: 9798890630056

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Clavis

Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S TRANSPORTATION

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE TRACTOR WANTS TO FLY
by Natalie Quintart ; illustrated by Philippe Goossens

bookshelf

THE WORLD NEEDS THE WONDER YOU SEE

by Joanna Gaines ; illustrated by Julianna Swaney ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 28, 2025

Handy advice for perpetually inquisitive children.

bookshelf

Interior decorator and TV personality Gaines invites readers to open their eyes and exercise their imaginations.

There’s a world to be explored out there—and only children can really take part. What does “looking for wonder” entail? Slowing down and looking up, around, and everywhere. At the outset, a group of eager, racially diverse young friends—including one who uses a wheelchair—are fully prepared for a grand adventure. They offer tips about how and where to look: Why, there’s a “grand parade” of marching ants! And, these kids add, perspective is key. A rainy day might signal gloom to some, but to those filled with wonder, showers bring “magic puddles for play”; a forest is “an enchanted world,” the ocean conceals “a spectacular city,” and the night sky boasts “extraordinary sights.” The takeaway: “Wonder is never in short supply.” It’s a robust, empowering message, as is the exhortation to “keep your mind open, and let curiosity guide the way.” Youngsters are also advised to share their discoveries. The upbeat narrative is delivered in clunky verse, but the colorful cartoonish illustrations brimming with activity and good cheer (including some adorable anthropomorphized animals in the backgrounds) make up for the textual lapses and should motivate readers to embark on their own “wonder explorations.”

Handy advice for perpetually inquisitive children. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Jan. 28, 2025

ISBN: 9781400247417

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Tommy Nelson

Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
THE WORLD NEEDS WHO YOU WERE MADE TO BE
by Joanna Gaines ; illustrated by Julianna Swaney

bookshelf

ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

bookshelf

Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)