Grab a helmet and a caregiver or friend, then—go! (Board book. 2-4)
Over 50 bikes of all sizes, shapes, and purposes wheel across and even off the 20 pages of this compact board book.
Little ones will study the busy illustrations of exotic versions of this iconic means of transportation. An invitation to count—“Old bikes. / New bikes. / Built-for-two bikes. // Bikes with three wheels. / Bikes with four. / Doesn’t that bike need one more?”—is paired with a picture of a brown-skinned, helmet-wearing child popping a wheelie and followed by a dog pushing the bike’s missing front wheel. The same dog can be found on every spread, and every bike rider is wearing a helmet. The bikes are historical (a pennyfarthing high-wheeler) or fantastical (bikes disguised as a ladybug, shark, and even eyeglasses). One even has eight shoes spaced around each wheel instead of conventional tires. All are recognizable as bikes, even by toddlers still limited to scoot bikes or tricycles. The colorful and active graphics clearly convey the excitement, freedom, and joy bike riding brings to this multicultural cast. Two minor quibbles: The details are small, limiting enjoyment to children with fairly well-developed eyesight; and unfortunately, the black tires of a fairly magnificent pony-bike are lost against a dark background and the training wheels on that bike are distorted. Otherwise, it’s ready to roll.
Grab a helmet and a caregiver or friend, then—go! (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: April 16, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-63217-220-4
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Little Bigfoot/Sasquatch
Review Posted Online: May 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2019
Truck lovers of any gender will find this title a treat, but the hyperfeminine companion is sadly restrictive.
Richly textured board pages and a limited color palette distinguish this tribute to trucks.
The gray buckram cover is a delight to hold, while bright red endpapers promise excitement within. Beautifully designed using shades of red, black, white, and brown on matte pages, the whole package has a retro, letterpress feel. The first truck is a firetruck big enough for a brown-skinned child to straddle. Later pages feature construction vehicles, a flatbed trailer, and an ice cream truck. The slight text has a lyrical quality, though the occasional rhymes seem accidental. Relatively abstract concepts are casually introduced, “Love is a kid who lines them all up. Biggest to smallest, color by color.” On the final page the brown-skinned child is kissed goodnight while clutching a truck under a road-patterned blanket. The main character wears plaid bib overalls and has longish curly hair. Another child, also brown-skinned, with close-cropped hair, plays with the construction trucks, shares a treat from the ice cream truck, and offers a goodnight kiss. Unfortunately, a less gender-neutral companion volume, Love Is a Tutu, clearly aims for the ballerina market with an excess of pink. Together the two books assure little girls they can love both tutus and trucks. Unfortunately, they send a mixed message to little boys.
Truck lovers of any gender will find this title a treat, but the hyperfeminine companion is sadly restrictive. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Nov. 15, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-937359-86-7
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Cameron + Company
Review Posted Online: Nov. 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Grown-ups be warned: Young fingers will delight in pressing the tractor’s buttons (and yours!) over and over.
Little ones can explore a day in the life of a rubber-covered, audio-enabled tractor.
The “5 noisy parts!” promised on the cover are powered by a battery embedded in the back of the book, the compartment securely screwed shut. Youngsters are prompted by the text to press various parts of the tractor to make interesting sound effects, such as an engine starting then chugging, a horn, and tire noise on muddy or rocky terrain. A large, tractor-shaped die-cut hole in every page allows children to access the vehicle on every double-page spread but leaves the left-hand pages dominated by that tractor-shaped hole. Farm animals make their signature sounds via speech bubble (horses, chicks, and cows, to name a few) along with other critters offering suggestions about which buttons on the tractor to press. For additional play value, a ladybug and a caterpillar can be spotted on every double-page spread. Labels for most of the animals appear in a clear font along with other farm-centric vocabulary words: pitchfork, seedlings, trough. Elliott’s art is busy, but the simple, eye-catching patterns and graphically clean lines in bright colors will appeal to the audience. While this offering is perfect for toddlers, the extensive warnings in the fine print on the back of the book about what may happen if the button battery is swallowed should scare adults into being vigilant. Thankfully, there is an on/off switch allowing for toggling between a quiet and noisy reading experience.
Grown-ups be warned: Young fingers will delight in pressing the tractor’s buttons (and yours!) over and over. (Novelty board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Jan. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-68010-669-5
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: March 30, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2021
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