A wholesome, informative tale about determination with flat artwork.
Fernando, an earnest, young flamingo, believes he has two clumsy left feet and will never be able to dance in Bonesteel’s beginning reader.
Without graceful dancing skills, how will Fernando ever attract a mate? The flamingo works on some moves, but just as he starts to get the hang of it, he slips and faceplants in the water. Wading to shore, he sees a group of laughing flamingos, who tell him, “Give it up, twinkle toes. No flamingo will ever choose you.” Fernando’s now thoroughly discouraged, but his mother tells him: “Dance with your heart. Your feet will follow,” and she reminds him to be himself. Bolstered by her encouragement, Fernando keeps practicing and becomes a confident dancer. He also turns his feathers into an eye-catching rosy pink color by eating shrimp and plankton. Before long, the youngster is ready to participate in The Dance on the Water, a ritual during which the birds strut their stuff to try and impress potential mates. When Fernando tumbles during the performance, he’s certain he’ll be alone forever. But it’s his big splash that captures the attention of Felicia, his perfect match. The book closes with the happy couple and their gray-feathered son, Felipe, dancing in the water. Young audiences might not relate to Fernando’s desperate quest to find a mate, but the book’s simple messages about self-acceptance, perseverance, and unconditional love, delivered in plain text, will resonate, and seeing flamingo characters in the spotlight adds a dash of originality to otherwise generic themes. The tropical color palette (pretty hues of pink, green and blue) is pleasing, though the digitally rendered illustrations of somewhat characterless flamingos feel static. A wider range of distances, scenery, and expressions might add visual appeal. The backmatter includes interesting facts about flamingos’ diet, mating habits, and anatomy.
A wholesome, informative tale about determination with flat artwork.Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2024
ISBN: 9798886930566
Page Count: 34
Publisher: Austin Macauley
Review Posted Online: July 22, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own...
The sturdy Little Blue Truck is back for his third adventure, this time delivering Christmas trees to his band of animal pals.
The truck is decked out for the season with a Christmas wreath that suggests a nose between headlights acting as eyeballs. Little Blue loads up with trees at Toad’s Trees, where five trees are marked with numbered tags. These five trees are counted and arithmetically manipulated in various ways throughout the rhyming story as they are dropped off one by one to Little Blue’s friends. The final tree is reserved for the truck’s own use at his garage home, where he is welcomed back by the tree salestoad in a neatly circular fashion. The last tree is already decorated, and Little Blue gets a surprise along with readers, as tiny lights embedded in the illustrations sparkle for a few seconds when the last page is turned. Though it’s a gimmick, it’s a pleasant surprise, and it fits with the retro atmosphere of the snowy country scenes. The short, rhyming text is accented with colored highlights, red for the animal sounds and bright green for the numerical words in the Christmas-tree countdown.
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own tree that will put a twinkle in a toddler’s eyes. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-544-32041-3
Page Count: 24
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2014
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BOOK REVIEW
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