Solidly built for enjoyment by construction kids and feline friends alike.
Construction Cat and her kitty-cat crew are on the job!
“Construction Cat wakes up at dawn, // Grabs her boots and tugs them on, / Buckles tool belt, nice and snug, / Gives her family one more hug.” She kisses her husband, who’s making breakfast for their three kittens, and heads out in her blue pickup. At the job site, she reviews the plans, works a digger and a crane, and pours cement. “Lugging lumber, pounding nails, / Flicking sawdust from their tails,” the construction team uses an array of tools, always taking care for safety. Then it’s lunchtime, and there’s a sweet note from home in Construction Cat’s lunchbox. More work in the afternoon…and the project’s done! It’s a great play structure with a golden bell. A surprise visit from the family with a picnic dinner makes for “A purrrrfect day.” Odanaka’s rhyme is jaunty and pleasing, and the construction-equipment theme is a proven crowd-pleaser. The gender switch of the hard-hatted protagonist makes Construction Cat’s tale an even more important addition to all collections. Hanson’s digitally rendered cartoon cats in human clothes (but no hair beyond their fur and, blessedly, no extra eyelashes on Construction Cat) are the direct furry descendants of Margaret Wise Brown and Alice Provensen’s Color Kittens.
Solidly built for enjoyment by construction kids and feline friends alike. (Picture book. 2-7)Pub Date: Oct. 9, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4814-9094-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own...
The sturdy Little Blue Truck is back for his third adventure, this time delivering Christmas trees to his band of animal pals.
The truck is decked out for the season with a Christmas wreath that suggests a nose between headlights acting as eyeballs. Little Blue loads up with trees at Toad’s Trees, where five trees are marked with numbered tags. These five trees are counted and arithmetically manipulated in various ways throughout the rhyming story as they are dropped off one by one to Little Blue’s friends. The final tree is reserved for the truck’s own use at his garage home, where he is welcomed back by the tree salestoad in a neatly circular fashion. The last tree is already decorated, and Little Blue gets a surprise along with readers, as tiny lights embedded in the illustrations sparkle for a few seconds when the last page is turned. Though it’s a gimmick, it’s a pleasant surprise, and it fits with the retro atmosphere of the snowy country scenes. The short, rhyming text is accented with colored highlights, red for the animal sounds and bright green for the numerical words in the Christmas-tree countdown.
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own tree that will put a twinkle in a toddler’s eyes. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-544-32041-3
Page Count: 24
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Familiarity breeds a birthday for the ages in this party worth attending.
Don’t let the Pigeon ruin his own special day!
Anyone who has ever encountered the title character in any of his books—whether his first, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus (2003), or one of its many sequels—will understand that the bird’s innate self-love drives his every interaction. Little wonder, then, that he’s thrilled about his own “bird-day.” He has the hat. He has his “FANCY PLUMAGE.” And, best of all, he will get to blow out a candle “on my bird-day hot dog!” As he revels in the knowledge that this day is all for him, comeuppance is lurking. Someone has already blown out the bird-day candle—and eaten half the hot dog. It turns out that the Pigeon’s frenemy, the Duckling, has the same bird-day—as do a slew of newly hatched chicks. The Pigeon’s obligatory eight-panel freakout ensues. “What am I—invisible? I just want to be seen,” he whimpers, and when he receives some much-needed reassurance, he settles down and willingly shares his special day. While the switch from unapologetic narcissism to mature acceptance happens in the record-breaking span of two pages, the book is as enchanting as the Pigeon’s earlier outings. Even as it walks in the footsteps of its predecessors, there’s no denying the fun to be had.
Familiarity breeds a birthday for the ages in this party worth attending. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 31, 2026
ISBN: 9781454999621
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Nov. 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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