A lightweight but touching tale of a helpful animal companion and his grateful owner.
Bellringer offers a novella about a mysterious but friendly farm dog.
Jayden King is a 30-year-old sheep farmer who’s lived on his own ever since his parents died 12 years ago. His home isn’t much more than a one-bedroom shack, but he makes do. One day, a dog appears on his property with its paw stuck on a barbed-wire fence; the canine seems to be some kind of shepherd mix. The dog, whom he names Moss, soon helps him locate a stuck ewe. Clearly, the animal knows its way around sheep, so Jayden checks with other locals to see if anyone knows the dog’s owner. As no one comes forward, it appears that Jayden and Moss are destined to be an excellent team. Jayden gets a new neighbor, an attorney and sheep farmer named Joseph Carter, who dislikes Moss and suspects that the dog is killing his sheep. Jayden, however, believes that a lone wolf is targeting the livestock. Hopefully, Jayden and Moss can get the wolf situation sorted out before the neighbor does something rash. When Moss later winds up in dangerous situation, it seems like it may very well be the end for the helpful pooch. Although Bellringer’s brief story moves quickly, it manages to sketch out a memorable relationship between Jayden and his “ever-faithful” dog in a manner that gives the tale some heart. For example, the author also ably shows how Moss is a complete professional with the sheep, but still has a playful side; the protagonist reflects on how his otherwise serious companion would “carry around his food bowl so that it stuck up over his face and he couldn’t see where he was going.” The main plot, though, is both straightforward and predictable; even readers who are unfamiliar with the ways of wolves will find it hard to entertain the notion that Moss could be the sheep-slaying culprit. The only truly pressing question is what will come of a potentially violent confrontation toward the end.
A lightweight but touching tale of a helpful animal companion and his grateful owner.Pub Date: Feb. 28, 2022
ISBN: 9781398426344
Page Count: 44
Publisher: Austin Macauley
Review Posted Online: Oct. 3, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come.
Little Blue Truck and his pal Toad meet friends old and new on a springtime drive through the country.
This lift-the-flap, interactive entry in the popular Little Blue Truck series lacks the narrative strength and valuable life lessons of the original Little Blue Truck (2008) and its sequel, Little Blue Truck Leads the Way (2009). Both of those books, published for preschoolers rather than toddlers, featured rich storylines, dramatic, kinetic illustrations, and simple but valuable life lessons—the folly of taking oneself too seriously, the importance of friends, and the virtue of taking turns, for example. At about half the length and with half as much text as the aforementioned titles, this volume is a much quicker read. Less a story than a vernal celebration, the book depicts a bucolic drive through farmland and encounters with various animals and their young along the way. Beautifully rendered two-page tableaux teem with butterflies, blossoms, and vibrant pastel, springtime colors. Little Blue greets a sheep standing in the door of a barn: “Yoo-hoo, Sheep! / Beep-beep! / What’s new?” Folding back the durable, card-stock flap reveals the barn’s interior and an adorable set of twin lambs. Encounters with a duck and nine ducklings, a cow with a calf, a pig with 10 (!) piglets, a family of bunnies, and a chicken with a freshly hatched chick provide ample opportunity for counting and vocabulary work.
Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come. (Board book. 1-4)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-544-93809-0
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes.
A lift-the-flap book gives the littlest trick-or-treaters some practice identifying partygoers under their costumes.
Little Blue Truck and his buddy Toad are off to a party, and they invite readers (and a black cat) along for the ride: “ ‘Beep! Beep! Beep!’ / says Little Blue. / ‘It’s Halloween!’ / You come, too.” As they drive, they are surprised (and joined) by many of their friends in costume. “Who’s that in a tutu / striking a pose / up on the tiniest / tips of her toes? / Under the mask / who do you see?” Lifting the flap unmasks a friend: “ ‘Quack!’ says the duck. / ‘It’s me! It’s me!’ ” The sheep is disguised as a clown, the cow’s a queen, the pig’s a witch, the hen and her chick are pirates, and the horse is a dragon. Not to be left out, Little Blue has a costume, too. The flaps are large and sturdy, and enough of the animals’ characteristic features are visible under and around the costumes that little ones will be able to make successful guesses even on the first reading. Lovely curvy shapes and autumn colors fade to dusky blues as night falls, and children are sure to notice the traditional elements of a Halloween party: apple bobbing, lit jack-o’-lanterns, and punch and treats.
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-544-77253-3
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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