Children who already love the Little Blue Truck series will be ready to move on to a holiday celebration with Tractor Mac.
In this entry in the Tractor Mac series, the anthropomorphic red tractor assists with transporting a gigantic evergreen tree into town for the annual Christmas tree–lighting ceremony.
The region around Stony Meadow Farm is getting walloped by a snowstorm, and Tractor Mac is ready to help after the addition of tire chains and a front bucket loader. Farmer Bill and Tractor Mac work together in the snow to dig out Sibley the horse and the huge sled carrying the Christmas tree. On their way into town, Bill and Mac also dig out a dump truck, a fire truck, and a school bus, all on their way to the celebration. The line of vehicles parades into town, following the dump truck as it plows the way. The townspeople decorate the tree and celebrate with songs and food for all at a happy, old-fashioned town party. The humorous, short text includes lots of funny comments from the farm animals and repeated sound effects from Tractor Mac as he works. Appealing watercolor-and-pencil illustrations are filled with swirling snow, talking animals, and vehicles with friendly, bulging eyes who are quite believable in their earnest concern to get the job done and the party started. A bonus feature included on the endpapers shows labeled diagrams of the fire truck and Tractor Mac.
Children who already love the Little Blue Truck series will be ready to move on to a holiday celebration with Tractor Mac. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-374-30112-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2015
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
It’s not whether you win or lose; it’s how many mediocre sequels you can squeeze out of Seussian property.
Since a reformed Grinch is hardly any fun, this follow-up Grinches him up once more.
Those seeking more of the same, prepare to receive precisely that. Christmas is coming (again!), and the Grinch can hardly wait. He’s been patient all year, and now he can finally show the Whos down in Who-ville how much he’s changed. When the Grinch learns of a tree-decorating contest, he figures that if he wins, it’ll prove he truly has the Christmas spirit. He throws himself into the task, but when it comes time to judge the trees, the Grinch is horrified to discover that he’s received only the second-place trophy. Can Cindy-Lou Who find the words to save the day? Replicating many of the original beats and wordplay of the original, this tale feels like less a sequel and more like a vaguely rewritten variation. Meanwhile, Ruiz’s art seeks to bridge the gap between the animated Chuck Jones version of the Grinch and the one depicted in the original book. This thankless task results in a strange uncanny valley between Seuss and Jones but does allow the artist a chance to colorize everything and lend some racial diversity to the Who population (Cindy-Lou is light-skinned). (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s not whether you win or lose; it’s how many mediocre sequels you can squeeze out of Seussian property. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9780593563168
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 15, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2023
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