Helpful and timely for children and their grown-ups.
Sophie and her grandfather figure out how to make wearing masks easier for themselves and their neighbors.
Sophie, a small girl, is inside her home with her grandfather watching the world change. Both have brown skin and dark, textured hair. He explains to her that “We all have to wear masks to keep everyone safe.” All her neighbors and the mail carrier are now wearing masks, just like the Hara family has always done outside, even before the pandemic. Most people are doing the things they always do—gardening, riding bikes, and playing—but she cannot see their smiles. Grandpa says that change is hard, and friends can help. This gives Sophie an idea. They both stay up late, sketching and sewing, and the following day, they surprise the neighbors with personalized gifts to make the change easier. As Sophie grows from worry and confusion to understanding and helping, readers learn to name feelings they may be experiencing themselves. The people who live on Sophie’s street are racially and ethnically diverse, and her neighbors are friendly. The bright illustrations use clean lines, white space, and swaths of texture to depict a close-knit community of personalities who care for one another and commit to the common good. Powerful in its simplicity, this story contains lots of social and emotional learning in a small package. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 64.2% of actual size.)
Helpful and timely for children and their grown-ups. (Picture book. 3-9)Pub Date: Feb. 23, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-9785-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2021
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
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.
A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.
Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
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