A jubilant costume party from beginning to end.
The only thing more exciting than a zoo animal is a costumed zoo animal.
“Big news flash—it’s Zooloween!” enthuses news anchor Mike Minor. Zookeeper Sue is ready to lead the pack. Today, the animals get to strut their stuff in costume for a crowd of thrilled onlookers. Rhyming verse and colorful digital art depict, among other fabulously be-costumed creatures, a pig dressed as a superhero, a penguin in a firefighter’s uniform, and a “grilled-cheese cheetah.” Kids and adults will have a great time identifying the creatures and what they’ve chosen to dress as. Though some readers will note that a few of the couplets don’t quite rhyme and are at times a bit uneven, the images are exuberantly joyful and make up for any slight rhyming infractions. It all ends, of course, with a stampede, turning poor Zookeeper Sue’s well-executed parade into a wild rumpus and giving readers an idea of what things might look like if chimps, ostriches, and bears took over the zoo. Order is restored at last, and with an unexpected twist, the “best dressed” winner is revealed. This tale will make an excellent choice for a lap read or storytime; for added fun, pair it with a nonfiction book about real-life animals. Mike Minor presents white, while Sue is brown-skinned.
A jubilant costume party from beginning to end. (Picture book. 2-7)Pub Date: July 16, 2024
ISBN: 9780063273863
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2024
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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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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