Silly, cute, and lightly infused with a lesson on environmental respect.
Readers beware—there’s more to this beaming Australian marsupial than meets the eye.
Happiest animal on Earth? The quokka at the center of this tale would like a word. Sure, the creature’s cherubic cheeks are round with apparently unfettered cheer, but don’t judge a joey by its cover. This jolly expression does little to reflect the roiling “ocean of inner torment” that plagues our protagonist. The quokka demonstrates as a series of unfortunate events ensue—a scoop of ice cream tumbles from its cone and into the dust; a buzzing bee flits ominously nearby. Each affront is met with the same sparkling grin. But that’s not the only misunderstanding that bedevils this irascible mammal. Not only are pesky humans constantly gawking at the “huge, smiley rat”—the quokka is a marsupial who rarely snacks on trash, thank you very much—they’re disrupting our hero’s sleep to demand selfies! Will these trials never cease? This ultra-silly jaunt around Wadjemup—a.k.a. Rottnest Island, just off the coast of Perth, Western Australia—manages to deliver a conservationist message without sacrificing an ounce of goofiness; backmatter discusses the real-life impact of tourism on these creatures. Sure to inspire a grin in even the grumpiest animal lover, Perry’s amusing text is well suited to Hanson’s impish artwork; both are suffused with a delightfully Pixar-esque comedic sweetness.
Silly, cute, and lightly infused with a lesson on environmental respect. (additional information about quokkas) (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9781665953351
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.
The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 21, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
