A meaningful new series addition, suffused in warmth and tenderness.
Paul and Walker celebrate the many ways that very young animals might express their love.
With numerous series titles under their belt—among them If Animals Kissed Good Night (2007), If Animals Said I Love You (2017), and If Animals Loved Books (2025)—the creators take the theme in a different direction, geographically speaking, focusing on Australian natives. A wombat, a striped orange cat, a koala, a quokka, a kookaburra, a magpie, a wallaby, a skink, a dingo, a possum, and a kangaroo show their love for their mothers in various ways: making a card, gathering tasty leaves, writing a tender note of appreciation, baking a cake (Mama’s favorite: “beetle-bug cake”), going for a walk with Mama, giving her a rest, and offering her gifts. Of course, just saying “I love you” is also a sure thing! Each gesture is imbued with thoughtfulness and appreciation. Paul’s steady rhymes anchor her sweet sentiments. Round, blue-tinged Wombat takes center stage throughout, backed by an adorable supporting cast of cuddly, soft semi-anthropomorphic creatures brought to life by Walker’s vivid pastels. His watercolorlike illustrations depict a couple of Australian trees as well: eucalyptus and banksia. With its inclusion of Australian fauna, the creators’ latest sets itself apart as it continues to demonstrate the universality of love.
A meaningful new series addition, suffused in warmth and tenderness. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2026
ISBN: 9780374391942
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: yesterday
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2025
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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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Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes.
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
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