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FIREMAN SMALL

Name: FIREMAN SMALL
Author: Wong Herbert Yee
ISBN: 0-618-00707-5

FIRE DOWN BELOW!

by Wong Herbert Yee & illustrated by Wong Herbert Yee ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2001

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He may be pint-sized, and he may be tired after a busy day at the firehouse, but Fireman Small puts on the turbocharger when he smells smoke coming from a vent in this madcap story—the third starring Fireman Small. When a raindrop splashes on the nose of Fireman Yee while he tries to grab some winks at the firehouse—there’s a hole in the ceiling—he shuffles off to the Pink Hotel. “Just at the moment his droopy eyes close, / Something disturbing starts tickling his nose.” Smoke—and where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Fireman Small rushes about the packed hotel telling all the animal guests to move fast up to the roof: “Pounding on doors to let everyone know, / ‘Hurry—HURRY! Fire down below!’ ” He assembles everyone on the rooftop and sends them down the fire escape before the little fireman chops a hole in the roof to let the rain put out the fire. Although Yee spices this tale with visual comedy—a pig tends to her underarms with a blow dryer, an alligator wears a silly hat—the same creative energy didn’t go into the verse, which is painfully forced: “Toad’s in a tizzy, hopping and croaking. / The jazz band next door is really smoking. / ‘Your poncho’s on fire,’ wails drummer Mole. / Fireman Small hollers, ‘Stop—drop—and roll!’ ” Still, where there’s a fireman, there’s a reader—and some fire safety tips, too. (Picture book. 2-5)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2001

ISBN: 0-618-00707-5

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2001

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ACTION & ADVENTURE FICTION | CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

- BOOK REVIEW
MUMMIES AT THE MUSEUM
by Wong Herbert Yee ; illustrated by Wong Herbert Yee

- BOOK REVIEW
MY AUTUMN BOOK
by Wong Herbert Yee ; illustrated by Wong Herbert Yee

- BOOK REVIEW
MOUSE AND MOLE: SECRET VALENTINE
by Wong Herbert Yee ; illustrated by Wong Herbert Yee

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LITTLE BLUE TRUCK'S HALLOWEEN

by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 5, 2016

Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes.

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A lift-the-flap book gives the littlest trick-or-treaters some practice identifying partygoers under their costumes.

Little Blue Truck and his buddy Toad are off to a party, and they invite readers (and a black cat) along for the ride: “ ‘Beep! Beep! Beep!’ / says Little Blue. / ‘It’s Halloween!’ / You come, too.” As they drive, they are surprised (and joined) by many of their friends in costume. “Who’s that in a tutu / striking a pose / up on the tiniest / tips of her toes? / Under the mask / who do you see?” Lifting the flap unmasks a friend: “ ‘Quack!’ says the duck. / ‘It’s me! It’s me!’ ” The sheep is disguised as a clown, the cow’s a queen, the pig’s a witch, the hen and her chick are pirates, and the horse is a dragon. Not to be left out, Little Blue has a costume, too. The flaps are large and sturdy, and enough of the animals’ characteristic features are visible under and around the costumes that little ones will be able to make successful guesses even on the first reading. Lovely curvy shapes and autumn colors fade to dusky blues as night falls, and children are sure to notice the traditional elements of a Halloween party: apple bobbing, lit jack-o’-lanterns, and punch and treats.

Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes. (Board book. 2-4)

Pub Date: July 5, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-544-77253-3

Page Count: 16

Publisher: HMH Books

Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS | CHILDREN'S TRANSPORTATION

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE BLUE TRUCK MAKES A FRIEND
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry

- BOOK REVIEW
TIME FOR SCHOOL, LITTLE BLUE TRUCK
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by John Joseph

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE BLUE TRUCK'S VALENTINE
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by John Joseph

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ANIMAL SHAPES

by Christopher Silas Neal ; illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 27, 2018

Innovative and thoroughly enjoyable.

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You think you know shapes? Animals? Blend them together, and you might see them both a little differently!

What a mischievous twist on a concept book! With wordplay and a few groan-inducing puns, Neal creates connections among animals and shapes that are both unexpected and so seemingly obvious that readers might wonder why they didn’t see them all along. Of course, a “lazy turtle” meeting an oval would create the side-splitting combo of a “SLOW-VAL.” A dramatic page turn transforms a deeply saturated, clean-lined green oval by superimposing a head and turtle shell atop, with watery blue ripples completing the illusion. Minimal backgrounds and sketchy, impressionistic detailing keep the focus right on the zany animals. Beginning with simple shapes, the geometric forms become more complicated as the book advances, taking readers from a “soaring bird” that meets a triangle to become a “FLY-ANGLE” to a “sleepy lion” nonagon “YAWN-AGON.” Its companion text, Animal Colors, delves into color theory, this time creating entirely hybrid animals, such as the “GREEN WHION” with maned head and whale’s tail made from a “blue whale and a yellow lion.” It’s a compelling way to visualize color mixing, and like Animal Shapes, it’s got verve. Who doesn’t want to shout out that a yellow kangaroo/green moose blend is a “CHARTREUSE KANGAMOOSE”?

Innovative and thoroughly enjoyable. (Board book. 2-4)