This chipper tale of an unlikely farm friendship is sure to bring a smile.
Can Goat Girl pass on her excitement to Humdrum Farm’s most unexcitable denizen?
The chickens lay “extraordinarily average” eggs. The pigs roll in the mud only when they absolutely must (and on schedule), and the goats are content to eat the most boring foods (“paper flavor rice cakes”)…but not Goat Girl. She makes exciting food (like ratatouille!). She devises her own games when the other goats won’t play. She flies a hot air balloon when the other goats close Lookout Rock for fear of heights. From her balloon she spies Merle, Humdrum Farm’s oldest resident. He wants only to read his Encyclopedia of Dictionaries. When Goat Girl addresses him as “Cowboy,” he assures her though he is a bull, which he defines as “a cow who is a boy,” he is not a cowboy. Goat Girl gives him a pep talk with zero results. But when the chickens indulge their only free-range thought and head for the dangerous road…will Merle help Goat Girl save the day? Barrington’s debut is a fun farm fable with softly modeled cartoons that are full of zip (well, at least when Goat Girl is around) and expressive (mostly expressing boredom) creatures. Little listeners, who’ll be anything but bored, will likely hope for further Goat Girl and Cow Boy adventures. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 69.1% of actual size.)
This chipper tale of an unlikely farm friendship is sure to bring a smile. (Picture book. 2-7)Pub Date: Oct. 20, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-289136-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own...
The sturdy Little Blue Truck is back for his third adventure, this time delivering Christmas trees to his band of animal pals.
The truck is decked out for the season with a Christmas wreath that suggests a nose between headlights acting as eyeballs. Little Blue loads up with trees at Toad’s Trees, where five trees are marked with numbered tags. These five trees are counted and arithmetically manipulated in various ways throughout the rhyming story as they are dropped off one by one to Little Blue’s friends. The final tree is reserved for the truck’s own use at his garage home, where he is welcomed back by the tree salestoad in a neatly circular fashion. The last tree is already decorated, and Little Blue gets a surprise along with readers, as tiny lights embedded in the illustrations sparkle for a few seconds when the last page is turned. Though it’s a gimmick, it’s a pleasant surprise, and it fits with the retro atmosphere of the snowy country scenes. The short, rhyming text is accented with colored highlights, red for the animal sounds and bright green for the numerical words in the Christmas-tree countdown.
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own tree that will put a twinkle in a toddler’s eyes. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-544-32041-3
Page Count: 24
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren.
In talk-show host Fallon and illustrator Ordóñez’s latest picture-book collaboration, an elderly pooch waxes rhapsodic about a life well lived.
Observing Papa sitting in his chair watching TV all day, a young pup says, “I’m starting to think…you don’t do ANYTHING.” So Papa proceeds to list his accomplishments, both big and small, mundane and profound. Some are just a result of being older and physically bigger (being tall enough to reach a high shelf and strong enough to open jars); others include winning a race and performing in a band when he was younger. Eventually, the pup realizes that while Papa may have slowed down in his old age, he’s led a full life. The most satisfying thing about Papa’s life now? Watching his grandchild take center stage: “I can say lots of thoughts / but I choose to be quiet. / I’d rather you discover things and then try it.” Fallon’s straightforward text is sweetly upbeat, though it occasionally lacks flow, forcing incongruous situations together to fit the rhyme scheme (“I cook and I mow, / and I once flew a plane. // I play newspaper puzzles because it’s good for my brain”). Featuring uncluttered, colorful backgrounds, Ordóñez’s child-friendly digital art at times takes on sepia tones, evoking the sense of looking back at old photos or memories. Though the creators tread familiar ground, the love between Papa and his little one is palpable.
A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 13, 2025
ISBN: 9781250393975
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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