A simple and unique road trip tale, at once jubilant and calming.
A trucker and a moose take a journey together.
While driving through Maine in the dark of night, Rus sees a moose and brakes to a stop. Moose faints and gets tangled up under the truck’s front hood but miraculously is unscathed. In a moment of kindness, Rus pulls him out and tucks him into bed in the truck’s cab. Moose awakens to find himself cruising down the road in an 18-wheeler bound for Florida. Serving as both road buddy and cheery pet, Moose helps Rus navigate sticky situations and switch containers at the shipper’s warehouse but also licks Rus’ face and sticks his enormous antlered head out the cab window to enjoy the breeze. A delightful surprise, this story celebrates the work of long-haul trucking, often considered an unglamorous, even rough profession. Rus’ cab contains exquisite blankets and pillows and occasionally fills up with fanciful cascades of flowers. The truck passes through rain and bright sun, through cities and to the sea, depicted in seamlessly presented, often breathtaking sequences. The story’s success is due in no small part to Wang’s creative experimentation; she even makes the delivery of freight and the workings of a container depot appear colorful and compelling. Pale-skinned, dark-haired Rus presents East Asian; the author draws affectionately from her experiences traveling with her truck-driver husband.
A simple and unique road trip tale, at once jubilant and calming. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 2, 2025
ISBN: 9781632064097
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Yonder
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2025
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
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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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