Monster mehs.
What starts as a standard auto race evolves (quite literally) into a cooperative lesson.
Primed and pumped to conquer, five “scrappy little monster trucks” (resembling a cat, wedge of Swiss cheese, knight, shark, and unicorn) race one another along a twisty, turny obstacle course. Fortunately, every problem they encounter has a solution, as the trucks use their special features to escape muck and leap over gaps. But what’s this? A humongous boulder stumps the intrepid racers such that none can beat it separately. Then, in a singularly Voltron-esque move, the trucks shift their parts and combine to form a single “Monster Bot” capable of stomping the stony impediment to bits. The result? A five-way tie, naturally. Unexciting art gets the job done, not impressing with style so much as with mild ingenuity. As these are little trucks, it seems fitting that it’s the book’s little touches (such as the cheese truck’s grater mode or the cat truck’s extendable claws) that are the most droll. Alas, what it lacks in looks it does not quite make up for in writing. Perfunctory rhymes occasionally give way to soft ones (“A MONSTER leap with mid-air flips / The gap’s TOO BIG! They’ll DROP LIKE BRICKS!”). Adult readers may twitch, but the young and vehicularly obsessed probably won’t mind.
Monster mehs. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-936669-83-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: blue manatee press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together.
A clueless duckling tries to make a new friend.
He is confused by this peculiar-looking duck, who has a long tail, doesn’t waddle and likes to be alone. No matter how explicitly the creature denies he is a duck and announces that he is a cat, the duckling refuses to acknowledge the facts. When this creature expresses complete lack of interest in playing puddle stomp, the little ducking goes off and plays on his own. But the cat is not without remorse for rejecting an offered friendship. Of course it all ends happily, with the two new friends enjoying each other’s company. Bramsen employs brief sentences and the simplest of rhymes to tell this slight tale. The two heroes are meticulously drawn with endearing, expressive faces and body language, and their feathers and fur appear textured and touchable. Even the detailed tree bark and grass seem three-dimensional. There are single- and double-page spreads, panels surrounded by white space and circular and oval frames, all in a variety of eye-pleasing juxtapositions. While the initial appeal is solidly visual, young readers will get the gentle message that friendship is not something to take for granted but is to be embraced with open arms—or paws and webbed feet.
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-375-86990-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 13, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2012
WOO-HOO! This is the perfect way to foster healthy self-esteem in little ones.
What’s better than a cheerleading chicken?
Are you ever blue, unsure, tired, or overworked? Do you ever feel lost or overwhelmed? This uplifting book, expressed in delightful, jaunty verse, explains how to lift your spirits pronto: What you need is a booster chicken telling you’re doing great even when you’re not so confident, as when you’re learning or practicing a new skill, for instance. Your feathered champion will be right there, encouraging you all the way, with a loud “WOO HOO!” that’ll keep you going and remove any doubt you’re super terrific. But what if your cheerful chick errs and doesn’t do what it set out to do? Don’t worry—your cheery chicken just needs a reminder that everyone makes mistakes. That alone is a pep talk, enhanced by the wisdom that making mistakes allows everyone to learn and demonstrate they did their best. So forgive yourself, chickens! But the best thing is…instead of relying on someone else—like a chicken—to strengthen your ego, say a generous daily “WOO HOO!” to yourself. This riotous book hits all the right notes and does so succinctly and hilariously. The energetic, comical illustrations, in Boynton’s signature style, will elicit giggles and go far to make the book’s important point. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
WOO-HOO! This is the perfect way to foster healthy self-esteem in little ones. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 4, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-316-48679-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2023
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