A pleasant party bonbon.
When the family hires the man in the big, brown bear suit to entertain at Billy's birthday party, many surprises follow.
He wears a little purple hat and is greeted with cheers by the party guests. After voraciously consuming the proffered tea and biscuits, he lets out a surprising "BURP!" (Both Mom and Dad notice his bad manners.) The children chase him through the door, and he slips on a skateboard, spinning and whirling before crashing into a lamp. The kids love it, but the parents are rather horrified, even more so when he eats a bunch of flowers and glugs down all the water in the jug. The children want to try on his suit, but they can't seem to get it off...or even find a zipper. The Entertainer finds the birthday spread and eats it all, triggering a big sprawling snooze right there on the table. (Luckily, Mom had put the cake in the fridge.) Frazzled Mom and Dad are exhausted by the end of the party, but Billy wants to have him back next year. The doorbell rings; who should be standing in the doorway but a real man in a bear suit. Dodd's illustrations are colorful, and her story rhymes briskly, with droll, two-couplet etiquette tips tucked into page corners. Children, of course, will have tumbled to the Entertainer’s real identity long before the characters do.
A pleasant party bonbon. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 2, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4998-0078-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Review Posted Online: March 24, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2015
A syrupy tribute to mothers that may please fans of the series.
Another creature is on the loose.
The long-running series continues its successful formula with this Hallmark card of a book, which features bright illustrations and catchy rhymes. This time, the mythical creature the racially diverse children set out to catch is an absent mom who does it all (lists of descriptors include the words banker, caregiver, nurse, doctor, driver, chef, housekeeper, teacher, entertainer, playmate, laundry service, problem solver, handywoman, cleaner, and alarm clock) but doesn’t seem to have a job outside the home and is inexplicably a dinosaur. As the children prepare gifts and a meal for her, the text becomes an ode to the skills the Mamasaurus possesses (“Day or night she’s always there. / She meets every wish and need”) and values she instills (“Sometimes life can mean hard work,” “kindness matters,” and “what counts is doing your best”). This well-intentioned selection veers into cliche generously sprinkled with saccharine but manages to redeem itself with its appreciation for mothers and all that they may do. Endpapers include a “to” and “from” page framed in a heart, as well as a page where young gift givers or recipients can draw a picture of their Mamasaurus.
A syrupy tribute to mothers that may please fans of the series. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 5, 2024
ISBN: 9781728274300
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2024
A sweet reminder that it’s easy to weather a storm with the company and kindness of friends.
Is it a stormy-night scare or a bedtime book? Both!
Little Blue Truck and his good friend Toad are heading home when a storm lets loose. Before long, their familiar, now very nervous barnyard friends (Goat, Hen, Goose, Cow, Duck, and Pig) squeeze into the garage. Blue explains that “clouds bump and tumble in the sky, / but here inside we’re warm and dry, / and all the thirsty plants below / will get a drink to help them grow!” The friends begin to relax. “Duck said, loud as he could quack it, / ‘THUNDER’S JUST A NOISY RACKET!’ ” In the quiet after the storm, the barnyard friends are sleepy, but the garage is not their home. “ ‘Beep!’ said Blue. ‘Just hop inside. / All aboard for the bedtime ride!’ ” Young readers will settle down for their own bedtimes as Blue and Toad drop each friend at home and bid them a good night before returning to the garage and their own beds. “Blue gave one small sleepy ‘Beep.’ / Then Little Blue Truck fell fast asleep.” Joseph’s rich nighttime-blue illustrations (done “in the style of [series co-creator] Jill McElmurry”) highlight the power of the storm and capture the still serenity that follows. Little Blue Truck has been chugging along since 2008, but there seems to be plenty of gas left in the tank.
A sweet reminder that it’s easy to weather a storm with the company and kindness of friends. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 22, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-328-85213-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
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