A young boy finds out how much work goes into teaching a puppy to stay out of trouble in this debut children’s book.
Trent wants a puppy; his parents make him wait until he is 5, old enough to handle the responsibility of raising a pet “because doggies are a lot of work.” Trent instantly falls in love with an enthusiastic brown and tan dog, which he names Jessie. Trent gives Jessie a pillow for his bed, and even though it’s comfortable, the canine soon grows bored and begins chewing it. It’s the first mess: illustrator McIntosh shows a redheaded, blue-eyed Trent looking at a huge pile of feathers in dismay. “Jessie! You’re sooo messy!” he exclaims. In the endnotes, Normandin, an early childhood educator, points out that this refrain, printed in red instead of brown like the rest of the text, is designed for young readers to chime in—and they surely will. To clean up the mess, Trent shuts Jessie in his parents’ room, where the pup finds a tube of lipstick within reach. Cue the refrain, and an even more frustrated-looking Trent appears on the page. Jessie heads to the kitchen while Trent cleans up, and the animal finds joy. He spies a huge bag of dog food. Preschoolers and other lap readers should see the pattern by this point and giggle as Trent discovers another fiasco—and tries putting the pup in another room. But even the basement turns into a disaster area as untrained Jessie empties his bladder on the floor. When Trent steps in the puddle, young audiences will likely voice the appropriate “Ew!” in response before citing the refrain. Outside, Jessie finds a mud puddle; in the bathtub, he delights in knocking over the shampoo. Like Trent, children are sure to learn in this engaging story that a dog really is a serious responsibility. And while they might empathize with Trent, they’re more likely to laugh at the boy’s misfortunes throughout, especially as his expressions in McIntosh’s colorful cartoonish images become more frantic. This is definitely a humorous way to show the reality of how tough it can be to train a new puppy.
This amusing read-aloud tale for a preschool classroom about a mischievous canine should elicit plenty of giggles.
Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4602-7945-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: FriesenPress
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.
A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.
Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come.
Little Blue Truck and his pal Toad meet friends old and new on a springtime drive through the country.
This lift-the-flap, interactive entry in the popular Little Blue Truck series lacks the narrative strength and valuable life lessons of the original Little Blue Truck (2008) and its sequel, Little Blue Truck Leads the Way (2009). Both of those books, published for preschoolers rather than toddlers, featured rich storylines, dramatic, kinetic illustrations, and simple but valuable life lessons—the folly of taking oneself too seriously, the importance of friends, and the virtue of taking turns, for example. At about half the length and with half as much text as the aforementioned titles, this volume is a much quicker read. Less a story than a vernal celebration, the book depicts a bucolic drive through farmland and encounters with various animals and their young along the way. Beautifully rendered two-page tableaux teem with butterflies, blossoms, and vibrant pastel, springtime colors. Little Blue greets a sheep standing in the door of a barn: “Yoo-hoo, Sheep! / Beep-beep! / What’s new?” Folding back the durable, card-stock flap reveals the barn’s interior and an adorable set of twin lambs. Encounters with a duck and nine ducklings, a cow with a calf, a pig with 10 (!) piglets, a family of bunnies, and a chicken with a freshly hatched chick provide ample opportunity for counting and vocabulary work.
Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come. (Board book. 1-4)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-544-93809-0
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
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