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ARTURO

A sly, winking acknowledgment that naughtiness is harder to root out than one might wish.

An anteater is antsy for world fame.

Arturo craves acclaim and doesn’t sit idly by, waiting for the spotlight to claim him. He works at being the “centre of attention,” acting “cheeky” and striking rude poses. (This import from Australia and New Zealand has not been Americanized.) Disregarding warnings that “if the wind changes…you’ll stick like that,” Arturo keeps it up—until the wind does change, and he turns into a statue, frozen in a ludicrous posture with a rather daft facial expression. Efforts at unsticking fail; Arturo is used for utilitarian purposes, as coat rack, Christmas tree, and scarecrow. But could fame finally be within his grasp? “Chat shows,” celebrity soirees, and news articles attest to Arturo’s notoriety. His placement atop a pedestal proves he’s famous and loved! At story’s end, though, Arturo is inexplicably released from his immobile existence, and he realizes he’d rather be himself. Of course, “himself” isn’t famous but is still naughty. There’s an obvious illustrated hint that Arturo quickly returns to his former ways, having learned little except that fame is illusory. This humorous but thin story thus forgoes what could have been a pat lesson about improving moral character; it concludes realistically and accessibly: A pesky pain in the neck is likely to remain so. Comical cartoons feature lots of white space; Arturo’s exaggerated facial features enhance the fun.

A sly, winking acknowledgment that naughtiness is harder to root out than one might wish. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-76036-087-0

Page Count: 36

Publisher: Starfish Bay

Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2020

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LITTLE BLUE TRUCK AND RACER RED

From the Little Blue Truck series

A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.

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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

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: June 21, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

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