This warmhearted, endearing volume encourages children to enjoy nature and treat each day as an adventure.
When winter comes, a girl and her dog explore a snowy world in this picture-book sequel.
The girl and dog welcome the first signs of freezing weather as an opportunity to set out on their own. They navigate the snow-covered woods, wandering “where no one else goes” and finding stories in the imprints of wild animals (“Tracks left by cougars, / foxes, robins and pine martens”). With no adult in sight, winter presents an opportunity to have “a world all to themselves,” an urge any young child should understand. Because neither the girl nor dog is named, young readers can easily place themselves in the story and imagine that the escapades are theirs. The text conveys a deep affection for nature and the undisturbed wild: “There’s nothing like this world, / this playground called winter.” The duo’s exploits are entertaining and nonthreatening (“This is when the girl and her dog dance / When they leave everything in life up to chance”). After the weather gets too cold, they curl up together for warmth. Even as darkness falls, they decide to search for new marvels in a landscape transformed by moonlight. Stetsiv’s richly detailed illustrations emphasize the overall sense of playfulness and joyful discovery. The full-page drawings reflect the cool colors of winter: browns, blues, and white, brightened by the girl’s colorful snowsuit, hat, and scarf. Lighthearted pictures emphasize fun, showing the dog digging caves in the snow while the girl laughs or the canine happily licking the girl’s face. A nightscape washed in shades of blue reflects the peacefulness that follows a busy day. McKinley (The Adventures of a Girl & Her Dog: In the Mountains, 2015, etc.) tells the tale mostly in rhymes, some cutesy (“toeses” and “noses”), although others seem forced (“ice” and “life”), and occasionally the rhyme is lost altogether. Sometimes the text lacks clarity; what is meant, for example, by a world “where all traces of life vanish”? But these are minor inconsistencies in an overall appealing appreciation of winter.
This warmhearted, endearing volume encourages children to enjoy nature and treat each day as an adventure.Pub Date: Dec. 3, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-9858924-4-9
Page Count: 47
Publisher: Brigham Distributing
Review Posted Online: Jan. 28, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2016
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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