Celebrity-penned picture books don’t generally inspire much enthusiasm among young listeners. Although the “authors” may be well known to adults, children care more about content. And in many cases, talent in one field doesn’t necessarily imply ability in another. There are exceptions, of course, but unfortunately this rambling first-person narrative won’t be one of them. Obviously intended to cash in on both the author’s comedy routines and the popularity of books that build self-esteem and celebrate diversity, the overly long text fails to entertain or enlighten. The plot is predictable: A mariachi band made up of school children enters a Battle of the Bands, flirts with changing their presentation to resemble the competing rock bands but ultimately decides to stick to their own style. They win, of course. The cartoon-style illustrations are appealing though somewhat static. Outlandish outfits and exaggerated expressions add humor, but the pictures aren’t engaging enough to make up for the forgettable text. Well meant, perhaps, but sadly not “groovanova.” (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: July 1, 2007
ISBN: 978-0-06-113201-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2007
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A delight for car and truck fans young and old.
Don’t cry over spilled milk. Add crumbled cookies and freeze to make Cookie Crunch ice cream with your friends instead.
Tow truck Joe and his pup, Patch, roam Drivedale honking “Hello!” and helping vehicles (all are anthropomorphic) in trouble. They charge batteries and replace flat tires until “SCREECH! BANG! CRUNCH! CRASH” An accident! It appears the milk truck was going too fast and hit a cart full of cookies. What a mess! Traffic is at a standstill, but Joe, Patch, and all the other trucks help out. The cement mixer is ready. The bulldozer cleans up the cookie crumbles, and the grocery truck supplies sugar and vanilla. Patch adds milk from the milk truck, and the mixer stirs everything up. An ice cream truck offers to freeze the mixture. Voila! Cookie Crunch ice cream! Slowly and carefully, all the vehicles follow Joe and Patch to the garage to end the busy day with scoops of their delicious ice cream creation. Related in an easy, conversational rhyme with clear and bright illustrations, this story is a good read-aloud, but it’s an even better one-on-one read. Children and adults need to pore over the written puns in the illustrations. Signs such as “BIG WHEEL COOKIES—THEY TASTE WHEELY GREAT” and “KNEAD FOR SPEED BAKERY” are too good to miss.
A delight for car and truck fans young and old. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-358-05312-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: May 11, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Not exactly first-class travel.
Climb aboard, with this visual interpretation of the classic 1971 song.
The lyrics of Stevens’ song are the catalyst for this colorful picture book, which depicts a golden-hued train with a plume of psychedelic smoke initially traveling across an unknown and barren landscape. As the train chugs along, a tan-skinned, purple-haired guitar player makes their way to the train and travels with it, sometimes riding, sometimes walking alongside it, as it picks up a racially and ethnically diverse group of passengers. Reynolds’ cartoon illustrations are characteristically bold, the flower-power symbols in the smoke making a cheery if sometimes hard-to-distinguish clutter. As with many songs-cum–picture books, some of the lyrics defy visual interpretation. “Everyone jump up on the Peace Train” is nicely imagined with a cat leaping into the arms of the guitar-playing protagonist, but Reynolds’ accompaniment to the stanza that begins “Now, come and join the living” simply frames it in a close-up of symbolic smoke. In visual answer to “Why must we go on hating? / Why can’t we live in bliss?” the guitar player lays musical notes over a scary hole in the tracks that represents “the world as it is.” The train safely passes, but it all seems awfully easy. Musically inclined caregivers who feel confident belting out the lyrics may find this a useful title for peace-themed storytimes, but the overall depictions of peace and unity feel superficial at best.
Not exactly first-class travel. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: May 11, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-305399-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2021
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