Readers will thrill to the sense of discovery and exploration the girl experiences: “It is possible.” (Picture book. 2-4)
The witty minimalism of the black-and-white line artwork by Swiss illustrator Albertine in this extreme landscape-format children’s book belies the psychological depth of the content.
A child is traveling by train from her mother’s home in the city to her grandmother’s home, which is “practically on the other side of the world.” The train, the only color element of the whole book, moves through a landscape that begins as a modern European cityscape (plenty of signs in French for language practice!) and increasingly becomes more surreal and Seuss-ian as the landscape becomes more rural. The story is a gently veiled moral tale of resolution and independence. In spite of the admonitions of her mother and grandmother, who tell her that it is impossible to know the whole world, the child asserts that she intends to travel everywhere, and thus she will be able to know the whole world. Her assertions of independence and determination gain momentum as the train continues. The fact that the train does arrive at its far-distant destination, reuniting the girl with her grandmother, suggests that the child is right and that adults are too rigid in their thinking.
Readers will thrill to the sense of discovery and exploration the girl experiences: “It is possible.” (Picture book. 2-4)Pub Date: April 30, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4521-1934-2
Page Count: 44
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2013
Grown-ups be warned: Young fingers will delight in pressing the tractor’s buttons (and yours!) over and over.
Little ones can explore a day in the life of a rubber-covered, audio-enabled tractor.
The “5 noisy parts!” promised on the cover are powered by a battery embedded in the back of the book, the compartment securely screwed shut. Youngsters are prompted by the text to press various parts of the tractor to make interesting sound effects, such as an engine starting then chugging, a horn, and tire noise on muddy or rocky terrain. A large, tractor-shaped die-cut hole in every page allows children to access the vehicle on every double-page spread but leaves the left-hand pages dominated by that tractor-shaped hole. Farm animals make their signature sounds via speech bubble (horses, chicks, and cows, to name a few) along with other critters offering suggestions about which buttons on the tractor to press. For additional play value, a ladybug and a caterpillar can be spotted on every double-page spread. Labels for most of the animals appear in a clear font along with other farm-centric vocabulary words: pitchfork, seedlings, trough. Elliott’s art is busy, but the simple, eye-catching patterns and graphically clean lines in bright colors will appeal to the audience. While this offering is perfect for toddlers, the extensive warnings in the fine print on the back of the book about what may happen if the button battery is swallowed should scare adults into being vigilant. Thankfully, there is an on/off switch allowing for toggling between a quiet and noisy reading experience.
Grown-ups be warned: Young fingers will delight in pressing the tractor’s buttons (and yours!) over and over. (Novelty board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Jan. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-68010-669-5
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: March 30, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2021
A good choice for young transportation lovers.
A rhyming picture book about a yellow rescue helicopter geared toward toddlers.
Simple, onomatopoeic text and bright illustrations tell the story of a new, yellow rescue helicopter that receives its first assignment. The smiling, friendly-looking rescue copter is rendered in bold colors that contrast nicely with the gray-blue background. The unencumbered art style helps make the various parts of a helicopter easily identifiable. Some double-page spreads focus on the names of the helicopter parts (rotors, tail boom, skids, etc.), which should appeal to readers who are interested in mechanical transportation. The plot concerns a teacher who is stuck at the top of a Ferris wheel and needs saving. While both the group of ethnically diverse students watching from the ground and the teacher up on the wheel look distressed, they do not look afraid, and the tone is one of hope, which should assuage anxious readers. Whenever the words “yellow copter” appear in the text, they are always printed in yellow, which makes sense and will help teach color association, but other words arbitrarily printed in colored type may confuse young readers. The interpretation of the sound (“whup, whup, whup”) helicopters make—as well as other sounds—should make for a bouncy read-aloud.
A good choice for young transportation lovers. (Picture book. 2-4)Pub Date: May 19, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-451-46991-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
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