Kids without a frame of reference will still get a kick out of these goofy gulls.
Take a seaside location, add a colony of gulls and the alphabet, and the result is a clever abecedary specific to Maine.
On each page one word is paired with a gull whose name begins with the same letter and who acts out the descriptive, alliterative sentence. “Airplane / Avery has an afternoon adventure in an airplane.” The red print in “Airplane” is echoed by red wings on the aircraft itself and, in the distance, red stripes on a lighthouse down below. A goggled gull is in the cockpit, giving readers a “thumbs up” with its wing. “Lobster / Ledge loves to see the lobsters in his trap.” A gull clad in red waterproof overalls holds an old-fashioned lobster pot under one wing; four live green lobsters accessorize the picture. As always with an alphabet book, some letters are less fertile than others. “Queen / The sandcastle makes Quoddy feel like a queen.” The letter X shows Xander looking at an X-ray of his broken leg; Zeke zips up his life jacket before zooming off in a canoe to Zephyr Cove. The simple, flat illustrations have a paper-collage, playful look that is amusing. The unusual names are explained by a note on the back cover that states that most of the gulls are named after Maine islands: Nubble, Vaill, Keeler, Haskell, and more. Though the gulls all look the same, it’s their outfits and actions that add individuality.
Kids without a frame of reference will still get a kick out of these goofy gulls. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 28, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-944762-08-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Islandport Press
Review Posted Online: Dec. 25, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2017
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
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
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