A young boy’s imagination fuels adventures galore in this clever one-to-ten counting book. When the boy’s toy tractor runs out of gas, he turns to other amusements; as he flies his toy plane, he looks up to see a small mouse piloting one higher up in the sky. The two new friends welcome three boatloads of pirates, who quickly join in the fun, acting on their own instead of being manipulated by the boy as regular playthings are. Together, they all build roads, battle a fire-breathing dragon, take a train ride and peddle their bicycles. When the fun is done, the boy solemnly waves goodbye to the already distant ships and plane. One of the last spreads shows him fast asleep in the grass and surrounded by the toys that inspired his amazing imagination. Rogers’s watercolors truly make this concept come to life. Each of the toys has its own personality, and young readers will patiently seek out each of their silly antics on the generous full-page spreads. (Picture book. 2-5)
Pub Date: March 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-8234-1923-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2008
Exactly as expected, just right for little readers.
A Halloween-creature edition of the familiar tune “The Wheels on the Bus.”
On its way around town, the bus picks up a Halloween-themed cast of characters, including ghosts, witches, pumpkins, and even sentient candies. The bus driver is a friendly purple monster. After making the rounds, the bus full of creepy creatures is ready for its “next stop: your house!” The text works equally well as a straight read-aloud or sung to the traditional tune. All of the sounds that the bus riders make are fairly obvious: The ghosts go “Boo! Boo! Boo!” and the bats go “Flap! Flap! Flap!” for example. This makes the book participation-friendly even for a crowd that might be hearing it for the first time. Kieley’s illustrations sync nicely with the text, and the characters are friendly rather than scary, with lots of playful details. Some of the witches (who display a variety of racial presentations) share a cauldron of cider and play cards on their bus ride, and some of the cats sip from little cartons of milk. One fun additional illustration is the title-page map of the bus route, which includes Sea Monster Swamp, the Scratching Post (where the cats are, of course), and Bat Caves. Little readers will surely enjoy poring over these details as they bounce along through the text. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Exactly as expected, just right for little readers. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: July 20, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-17488-3
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
The flat ending is disappointing for a group of characters who could have exhibited a rousing rhythmic finale.
Just before showtime, the animals in the band must search for their instruments in the lost and found by their identifying sounds.
A mouse happily claims the trumpet after a congenial-looking rabbit clerk produces a bicycle horn, trumpet, and toy train in response to a request for an instrument that makes a “Toot! Toot! Toot!” sound. Similarly a beaver retrieves the triangle from an assortment of things that make a “Ding! Ding! Ding!” sound. An elephant and a squirrel find their piano and drum, and the band reassembles, led by their conductor, a bat. The animals’ questions are phrased in rhyming couplets: “The thing I lost goes Plink! Plank! Plunk! I play it with my big, long trunk,” explains the elephant. The simple, black-outlined cartoons against a white or pale yellow background extend the narrative so that readers are expected to discern objects with their corresponding sounds. The rabbit offers the elephant first a piggy bank (“Plink!”), then a flowerpot full of water (“Plank!”), and then a comically tiny piano (“Plunk!”). Unfortunately, as the band comes together, their meager performance reflects the bareness of this storyline. The bat ends the search and exclaims, “You found my things! They sound so grand. / One, two, three— // let’s hit it, band! / Toot! Ding! Plunk! Boom!”
The flat ending is disappointing for a group of characters who could have exhibited a rousing rhythmic finale. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 13, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-06-238068-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 5, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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