Unable to resist testing his mother’s admonition not to taunt the goose, one little kitten embarks on his disobedient quest, but first he must find out which of the barnyard animals actually is the goose. His first trial finds him surrounded by hens and their chicks. He attempts to test his mother’s instructions, calling out “Boo, goose!” but the chickens laugh at him: “Cluck, cluck, cluck. Silly kitten. We’re not geese, we’re hens.” Many more cases of mistaken identity follow as the kitten travels around the farm. He meets the donkey and some ducks, has a brief encounter with the dog, and finally, when he is just about to give up, he meets up with the goose. Thrilled at his success, he calls out “Boo!” The little kitten soon finds out that he should have listened to his mother’s instructions as one very large, very angry goose chases him. Snuggled back with his mother, he claims that he will never attempt to taunt the goose again, but the look in his button eyes suggest that this kitten may still have some mischief in him. Stitched fabric collages illustrate this simple tale and the production gives them an almost three-dimensional quality. Buttons function as eyes and seed beads add bubbles to the water in the pond, making this a visually pleasing as well as useful exploration of farm animals and the sounds that they make. A honking good time. (Picture book. 2-5)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2002
ISBN: 1-84148-255-2
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Barefoot Books
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2002
Categories: CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS
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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. 12, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2014
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A lift-the-flap book gives the littlest trick-or-treaters some practice identifying partygoers under their costumes.
Little Blue Truck and his buddy Toad are off to a party, and they invite readers (and a black cat) along for the ride: “ ‘Beep! Beep! Beep!’ / says Little Blue. / ‘It’s Halloween!’ / You come, too.” As they drive, they are surprised (and joined) by many of their friends in costume. “Who’s that in a tutu / striking a pose / up on the tiniest / tips of her toes? / Under the mask / who do you see?” Lifting the flap unmasks a friend: “ ‘Quack!’ says the duck. / ‘It’s me! It’s me!’ ” The sheep is disguised as a clown, the cow’s a queen, the pig’s a witch, the hen and her chick are pirates, and the horse is a dragon. Not to be left out, Little Blue has a costume, too. The flaps are large and sturdy, and enough of the animals’ characteristic features are visible under and around the costumes that little ones will be able to make successful guesses even on the first reading. Lovely curvy shapes and autumn colors fade to dusky blues as night falls, and children are sure to notice the traditional elements of a Halloween party: apple bobbing, lit jack-o’-lanterns, and punch and treats.
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-544-77253-3
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: July 20, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
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