The darkness and unknown are no match for people, song, and the warmth of a good fire in this reassuring paean to community.
The ancient comfort of a campfire’s glow provides both a space for new friends and a sturdy brace against the dark.
“Aren’t we lucky / we’re not alone?” An adult, a child, and a dog travel through the wilderness until it’s time to set up camp. “Gather rocks. // Rocks all around. / Let’s make a fire / before the sun goes down.” After the trio gather tinder, the resulting flames seemingly produce phoenixes and foxes in their flickers. The night might be shadowy and scary, but soon food is cooking over a roaring fire. Fellow hungry travelers then join in, providing songs and company amid fireflies and roasted marshmallows. Noting in the gentle afterword that “a campfire is a living thing: Just like you,” Covell explains how to safely tend one, bank it, and put it out. In this way the book celebrates the campfire and recognizes how fire helps foster a sense of community, but Covell also acknowledges the harm fires can do if left untended. Innovative art constructed from digitally collaged cut paper, charcoal, chalk, “all kinds of pencils, and a pinch of salt” will keep young readers enthralled, particularly if they notice the little red ant that pops up in almost every scene. The human protagonists are brown-skinned; other characters are racially diverse.
The darkness and unknown are no match for people, song, and the warmth of a good fire in this reassuring paean to community. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 26, 2024
ISBN: 9780593327630
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2024
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Quirky, familiar fun for series devotees.
After Duncan finds his crayons gone—yet again—letters arrive, detailing their adventures in friendship.
Eleven crayons send missives from their chosen spots throughout Duncan’s home (and one from his classroom). Red enjoys the thrill of extinguishing “pretend fires” with Duncan’s toy firetruck. White, so often dismissed as invisible, finds a new calling subbing in for the missing queen on the black-and-white chessboard. “Now everyone ALWAYS SEES ME!…(Well, half the time!)” Pink’s living the dream as a pastry chef helming the Breezy Bake Oven, “baking everything from little cupcakes…to…OTHER little cupcakes!” Teal, who’s hitched a ride to school in Duncan’s backpack, meets the crayons in the boy’s desk and writes, “Guess what? I HAVE A TWIN! How come you never told me?” Duncan wants to see his crayons and “meet their new friends.” A culminating dinner party assembles the crayons and their many guests: a table tennis ball, dog biscuits, a well-loved teddy bear, and more. The premise—personified crayons, away and back again—is well-trammeled territory by now, after over a dozen books and spinoffs, and Jeffers once more delivers his signature cartooning and hand-lettering. Though the pages lack the laugh-out-loud sight gags and side-splittingly funny asides of previous outings, readers—especially fans of the crayons’ previous outings—will enjoy checking in on their pals.
Quirky, familiar fun for series devotees. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 3, 2025
ISBN: 9780593622360
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: March 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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