A surprising mix of characters in a lovely setting.
When the beach gear is forgotten, some inspired DIY with natural objects saves the day at the sea.
Michao, a grown bear, drives the narrator, a young fox wearing overalls, and Marguerite, a young sheep wearing a blue sundress, to the beach. They have a full day planned, with swimming, playing with a beach ball, building sand castles, and floating on their inflatable crocodile. But when they arrive at the beach and open the trunk, they find that all of their beach gear has been forgotten at home. At the fox’s suggestion, Michao tries doing magic to make it all appear, but that doesn’t work. The fox doesn’t know what to do. Michao, though, gets an idea from the ships on the horizon. While Marguerite wades, he teaches the fox to build a ship out of twigs and seaweed. They all then wade into the water and set their ship to sail, imagining where it might end up as the day fades and they head home. This French import feels unusual, with unclear relationships among the animals and an open ending, but the movement from eager anticipation to disappointment to rescued day of magical moments will be familiar to families. Lush illustrations on oversized spreads successfully evoke the feel and mood of a day at the beach. The characters’ proportions’ and anatomy are humanlike, elevating the surreal mood.
A surprising mix of characters in a lovely setting. (Picture book. 4-9)Pub Date: May 25, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-772290-40-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Simply Read Books
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 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
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BOOK REVIEW
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
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