A sweet, well-illustrated story of a happy dog and her bond with her owner.
In O’Hare’s illustrated children’s book, a dog who loves her island life must visit a veterinarian on the mainland during the Christmas season.
A pup named Quigley, who resembles a golden retriever, was born in a small town in Colorado, but after she was adopted by her owner, she moved to a small island off Washington state where she’s surrounded by the Salish Sea. To go to the mainland, she and her owner must take a ferry. Quigley loves her toys and people’s shoes, especially those that she can cuddle or chew. Most of all, she loves her owner, whom the text calls “her Person.” (The narrator asserts that dogs can smell when someone loves them.) One Christmas Day, Quigley gets sick; her Person takes her on the ferry and then to a vet’s office. When the pup has to stay there overnight, she’s confused and scared, but after she feels better, she and her Person have a happy reunion. Heikens effectively depicts Quigley, her Person, and the sea in colorful watercolor-style illustrations. O’Hare’s playful narrative features a number of questions, encouraging children to jump in with answers: “Still, Quigley can’t stop thinking: Where is her Person?” The text also takes time to teach readers a bit about where the pup protagonist lives, and features illustrations of maps. Although the overall plot is simple, the stories of Quigley’s playfulness and her vet visit may resonate with young pet owners, especially those who’ve had to leave their animal pals at the doctor’s office overnight. The book may also encourage curiosity about United States geography, as readers may want to find out more about where Quigley was born and where she currently lives.
A sweet, well-illustrated story of a happy dog and her bond with her owner.Pub Date: June 7, 2023
ISBN: 9781954780330
Page Count: 40
Publisher: O'Farm Publishing
Review Posted Online: Nov. 20, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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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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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BOOK REVIEW
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