The cautionary tale of a teenage cyclist who flouts the Motor Vehicle Code—in picture-book format and spoofy Dick-and-Jane form. Exactly who is meant to make what use of this odd item is a puzzlement. The publishers age it, like the run of picture-books, 4—8. But it's full of technical information and technical lingo, and, with its close-up drawings of the motorcycle's parts, it does obviously intend to be a guide to motorcycle operation. At the same time, the mock-primerese—"This is Chuck's motorcycle-driver's license. He earned it by studying the Motor Vehicle Code and passing a driver's test. . . . This is Chuck's mother worrying about Chuck and his motorcycle"—has a satirical tone out-of-sync with both the technical detail and Chuck's reckless driving. "Now Chuck is riding down the white line in the center of the pavement. He is having such a good time he forgets the Motor Vehicle Code. What does it know about fun?" A little later: "This is a rearview mirror that reflects the Highway Patrol chasing Chuck with blinking lights. Ooo-ee! Ooo-ee! Now Chuck remembers the Motor Vehicle Code." Later still: "This is unlucky Chuck skidding on the gravel and laying it down. Thump! Bump! Chuck flies off his bike into some weeds. Yowl Ouch! There may be some kids around nine or ten, who'll recognize the Cleary name, think fondly of mouse Ralph, see the authentic motorcycle poop, and lap it all up. But the book resembles nothing so much as a public-service offering from the motorcycle folk, jollied up for popular appeal.
Pub Date: March 28, 1984
ISBN: 0060082399
Page Count: 52
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 16, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1984
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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Only for dedicated fans of the series.
When a kid gets the part of the ninja master in the school play, it finally seems to be the right time to tackle the closet monster.
“I spot my monster right away. / He’s practicing his ROAR. / He almost scares me half to death, / but I won’t be scared anymore!” The monster is a large, fluffy poison-green beast with blue hands and feet and face and a fluffy blue-and-green–striped tail. The kid employs a “bag of tricks” to try to catch the monster: in it are a giant wind-up shark, two cans of silly string, and an elaborate cage-and-robot trap. This last works, but with an unexpected result: the monster looks sad. Turns out he was only scaring the boy to wake him up so they could be friends. The monster greets the boy in the usual monster way: he “rips a massive FART!!” that smells like strawberries and lime, and then they go to the monster’s house to meet his parents and play. The final two spreads show the duo getting ready for bed, which is a rather anticlimactic end to what has otherwise been a rambunctious tale. Elkerton’s bright illustrations have a TV-cartoon aesthetic, and his playful beast is never scary. The narrator is depicted with black eyes and hair and pale skin. Wallace’s limping verses are uninspired at best, and the scansion and meter are frequently off.
Only for dedicated fans of the series. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-4894-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
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