Utterly mesmerizing.
Artistically minded rodents fight back against their feline terrorizer in Tonatiuh’s prescient fable.
On a dreadful, star-filled night, a looming shadow (“¡Un gato!”) falls over the bustling, effervescent town of Mousetepec, and everything changes. As the cat uses its terrible claws to frighten the residents, Mousetepec loses its colorful spirit: The mousefolk stay home, the mercado closes, the fiestas stop, the plaza remains quiet, and the raspado cart stands abandoned. To bring cheer back into their lives, Vida and her brother, Máximo, start painting household objects—containers, jugs, bottles—in kaleidoscopic colors while transforming old buckets and cereal boxes into vibrant masks. When Máximo wanders outside in an ill-timed attempt to bring color back to the town, Vida rushes to his aid, donning one of their frightfully colorful masks to scare the lunging cat away. The confrontation spurs Vida to dream of a large neon creature called an alebrije, which inspires a plan to scare away the creature that’s been menacing Mousetepec. Tonatiuh expertly maintains a brisk pace that engages and tickles. His familiar pre-Columbian-flavored artwork beautifully complements this simply told yet moving fable of collective resistance, boasting bursts of color and provocative shadows across splendid double-page spreads. Insightful backmatter on alebrijes—folk art sculptures—and the tale’s origins draw incisive parallels between the art form’s history in Mexico and the increasing violence that has afflicted the country over the past few decades.
Utterly mesmerizing. (glossary and pronunciation guide, bibliography) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2025
ISBN: 9781419764592
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: June 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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