A silly and amusing poetry collection that might have benefited from brighter art.
Littlefield presents a lighthearted set of rhyming poems for young readers about animals, birds, and insects.
Each work in this creative, humorous children’s book focuses on a particular creature. In the poem that inspired the book’s title, a mouse outsmarts a human who sets a trap; the rodent leaves a note thanking the human for lunch, leaving them befuddled about who taught the mouse to write. Readers learn the moral of the story of “Tortoise and Hare” in a poem that concludes, “a racing tortoise doesn’t need the higher gears / To beat a foe too slow to know the only way to win / Is to remember why you’re there as soon as you begin.” In “Robin,” the author analyzes the weighty role of a robin announcing spring—and wonders what would happen if the bird was late. The poet recommends a garbage-eating goat for messy homeowners in one poem and shaking out one’s shoes to check for scorpions in another. Other tales feature an octopus that struggles to control its eight arms, a hurried caterpillar confidently crossing the road, and a vulture defending its reputation by highlighting that it eats what others won’t—and cleans the desert, too. Coren’s black-and-white animal illustrations will increase engagement, but the art might have had more impact in full color. Over the course of the collection, Littlefield combines a whimsical tone with clever, creative anecdotes to spark curiosity in young readers. He also shares wry animal observations: “Cows DON’T ever look like they’re thinking a lot. / They seem quite contented with all that they’ve got” (“Cows”). Similarly, in “Leopard,” the speaker reassures readers that the titular creatures are just as they’re meant to be: “I hope all of us inclined to rearrange / Ourselves because we’re not content with what we are today / Can recognize that as we are we’re better than okay.”
A silly and amusing poetry collection that might have benefited from brighter art.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 27, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
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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
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