A sweet, reassuring tale of feather-flapping fun and friendship.
In Davis’ debut picture book, an upbeat young duck struggles to control her excitement in the lead-up to a singing performance.
Lulu, a pink-cheeked, pink-ribboned yellow duckling, is known for her cheerful, friendly personality…and her involuntary, high-pitched quacking whenever she grows too excited. Lulu’s young friends are helping her prepare for a vocal recital. They include Finley, a light-skinned, blond-haired girl; Maria, a bespectacled Latine girl; and Pierre, a blue-eyed French boy. Lulu loves singing, but she can never complete her song without suffering an attack of the “oopsie duckies.” By joining her on stage, can Lulu’s friends keep her calm enough to make it through her performance? Davis narrates in straightforward, nonrhyming text, allowing the cute story to speak for itself. Lulu is a loveable protagonist, her excitability immediately recognizable in her propensity for “high-feathering” (“high-fiving,” only with wings) her friends. QBN Studios’ digital illustrations capture the crayon textures of early childhood artwork; they are particularly evocative in their depictions of trees and, less tangibly, joyousness. Lulu’s colorful QUACK! QUACK! QUACK!s leap from the page. The hand-painted stage is a true work of art; the children, in contrast, seem a little generic—an impression furthered by such repetitions as the “Hi/Hola/Bonjour” illustrations being identical to those of the subsequent images accompanying “Bye/Adios/Au revoir.” Nonetheless, young readers should delight in Lulu’s quack-happy “preduckament.”
A sweet, reassuring tale of feather-flapping fun and friendship.Pub Date: Dec. 4, 2023
ISBN: 9798987606001
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: March 13, 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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BOOK REVIEW
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