This caper is, ahem, shear fun for young readers.
Can Sheep Dog pull the wool over Sheep’s eyes? She isn’t so easily fleeced.
The farmyard pals, introduced in Sheep Dog and Sheep Sheep (2019), return. Sheep’s lush, woolly coat, which she loves to style, is too long; it falls over her eyes. Sheep Dog suggests a good shearing, but Sheep obstinately demurs. She opts for a ten-gallon hat but quickly abandons the oversized headgear (it doesn’t bring her joy). Sheep Dog raises the haircut idea again, but this time, Sheep has abandoned her friend, preferring to hide from him in a bush. She admits she’s not ready to part with her wool. However, when a duckling (“a water chicken,” as Sheep calls it) points out that her fleece will grow back, Sheep can’t wait to be shorn. It turns out she loves her shorter coif, but when she tells Sheep Dog it’s now his turn for a trim, guess who’s not so keen to seize the scissors? This is a lively, humorous romp, and readers who are less than thrilled to submit to haircuts themselves will relate. The supportive relationship between the friends is sweet and charming, and the fine-lined cartoon illustrations are comical and very expressive. Kids will appreciate Sheep’s funny antics and dialogue. Occasionally, both characters’ speech is set in large capital letters for dramatic emphasis, and onomatopoeic words are used to good effect.
This caper is, ahem, shear fun for young readers. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 30, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-267739-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 25, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
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
Serve this superbly designed title to all who relish slightly scary stories.
Kids know vegetables can be scary, but rarely are edible roots out to get someone. In this whimsical mock-horror tale, carrots nearly frighten the whiskers off Jasper Rabbit, an interloper at Crackenhopper Field.
Jasper loves carrots, especially those “free for the taking.” He pulls some in the morning, yanks out a few in the afternoon, and comes again at night to rip out more. Reynolds builds delicious suspense with succinct language that allows understatements to be fully exploited in Brown’s hilarious illustrations. The cartoon pictures, executed in pencil and then digitally colored, are in various shades of gray and serve as a perfectly gloomy backdrop for the vegetables’ eerie orange on each page. “Jasper couldn’t get enough carrots … / … until they started following him.” The plot intensifies as Jasper not only begins to hear the veggies nearby, but also begins to see them everywhere. Initially, young readers will wonder if this is all a product of Jasper’s imagination. Was it a few snarling carrots or just some bathing items peeking out from behind the shower curtain? The ending truly satisfies both readers and the book’s characters alike. And a lesson on greed goes down like honey instead of a forkful of spinach.
Serve this superbly designed title to all who relish slightly scary stories. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 21, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0297-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 1, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
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