Unless they are as good at hiding as Mouse, readers will be hard-pressed to apply any lessons learned here in their own...
A shy new student uses her best talent to ease into her first night at school.
Anxious Mouse has a clever solution for her first-night worries: she sneaks into school early and hides so as to avoid her classmates and teacher. But her manners are too good to ignore the black-hat–clad teacher when she asks if Mouse is present, and glasses-wearing Bat, Cat, Owl, and Miss Moon all compliment her excellent hiding ability. Then the five enjoy a rousing game of hide-and-seek (Mouse proves she’s the best, though observant readers may spot her) before a midnight snack. The slight tale doesn’t offer much for those who are similarly nervous or shy about their own first days of school. While the classroom is outfitted with some familiar school things, there are also some standouts that suit Moonlight School, including books of spells, a jar labeled “eyes of newts,” and a jar holding the classroom’s supply of magic wands. Pye’s digital illustrations are full of shadows brightened by both a few lanterns and the moon, never letting readers forget the specialness of this particular school.
Unless they are as good at hiding as Mouse, readers will be hard-pressed to apply any lessons learned here in their own lives. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 9, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7636-7607-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Review Posted Online: May 5, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2015
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
Hee haw.
The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018
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BOOK REVIEW
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