Reassuring; great for sleepers who need the right balance of quiet and sound at bedtime.
Bedtime serves up a racket for a mouse whose mama has settled him down to sleep.
At first, with only the accompaniment of whirring moths and the click of a light, it’s too peaceful for the young murine; he complains—loudly. Mama explains that if he listens to “the small sweet sounds of nighttime,” slumber will come. The outdoor symphony begins innocently with the sounds of a frog, crickets, the screen door, a dog’s thumping tail, a breeze, and Granddad’s snoring. Then it crescendos, growing more raucous as the night—and page turns—proceeds. This is clarified in print, as numerous onomatopoeic words, representing a plethora of cacophonous noises occurring simultaneously, are incorporated into the text in increasingly larger fonts. With various sounds gaining momentum (these beg to be read aloud animatedly), Mouse repeatedly opens his window, wondering what’s happening. When he’s finally over the clamor, he roars for silence. He needs sleep! Peace is restored…or is it? This uproarious offering, narrated in jaunty rhymes, will evoke lots of laughter. Kids will love repeating the sound effects in loud voices and may be inspired to create their own versions of animal sounds and household squeaks and creaks. The appealing, energetic illustrations, set against mostly dark backgrounds, feature textured, frequently off-kilter lines that add and amplify energy. Mouse and his family are delightfully expressive.
Reassuring; great for sleepers who need the right balance of quiet and sound at bedtime. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Feb. 23, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-4521-4544-0
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
A sweet reminder that it’s easy to weather a storm with the company and kindness of friends.
Is it a stormy-night scare or a bedtime book? Both!
Little Blue Truck and his good friend Toad are heading home when a storm lets loose. Before long, their familiar, now very nervous barnyard friends (Goat, Hen, Goose, Cow, Duck, and Pig) squeeze into the garage. Blue explains that “clouds bump and tumble in the sky, / but here inside we’re warm and dry, / and all the thirsty plants below / will get a drink to help them grow!” The friends begin to relax. “Duck said, loud as he could quack it, / ‘THUNDER’S JUST A NOISY RACKET!’ ” In the quiet after the storm, the barnyard friends are sleepy, but the garage is not their home. “ ‘Beep!’ said Blue. ‘Just hop inside. / All aboard for the bedtime ride!’ ” Young readers will settle down for their own bedtimes as Blue and Toad drop each friend at home and bid them a good night before returning to the garage and their own beds. “Blue gave one small sleepy ‘Beep.’ / Then Little Blue Truck fell fast asleep.” Joseph’s rich nighttime-blue illustrations (done “in the style of [series co-creator] Jill McElmurry”) highlight the power of the storm and capture the still serenity that follows. Little Blue Truck has been chugging along since 2008, but there seems to be plenty of gas left in the tank.
A sweet reminder that it’s easy to weather a storm with the company and kindness of friends. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 22, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-328-85213-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
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