An unremarkable but potentially practical book.
In Graham’s picture book, a teacher is the Goldilocks of transportation.
Every day, Mrs. Graham rides her bike to school—that is, until she crashes into a massive pothole outside the gates. The bike is irreparably damaged, so she tries a new way of getting to school the next morning. “Today is Tuesday and I’m going to go to school on the bus.” For the rest of the week, Mrs. Graham’s Siamese cat, Sugei, watches from the window at home as the beleaguered teacher attempts a new mode of transportation, only to be let down. Her last resort is to purchase a car. Her dream car is a small pink sedan but as she visits different showrooms throughout the next week, she once again encounters problems at each one. Evil Eddie’s cars are too big, and Foxy Freddie’s are too small. Some are too fast, too long, or just plain uncomfortable. Finally, Mrs. Graham is able to buy her ideal car from Handsome Harry and drive to school in style. Author Graham’s debut picture book is a modern twist on the Goldilocks story that preschoolers may find funny because of its continuous obstacles. While the story itself is somewhat monotonous, it’s useful for teaching the days of the week and types of transportation. Graham’s illustrations are plain but expressive, though the style isn’t always consistent between foreground details like Mrs. Graham herself and the more unfinished-looking students and buildings that appear in the background.
An unremarkable but potentially practical book.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: XlibrisUS
Review Posted Online: June 24, 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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.
A collection of parental wishes for a child.
It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
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