A hilarious yet sensitive look at a universal experience.
Being on the go, go, go leads to a big no, no, no for an overenthusiastic amphibian.
The protagonist of Awan’s Geisel Honor–winning Towed by Toad (2024) is back for more adventures. Toad proudly stops to help stranded drivers, towing them back to Pop’s Tire & Car Repair. Heeding the latest call (“Sharp Pat has a flat!”), Toad races to the rescue. Unfortunately, Toad’s high speed results in a crash. Toad is unharmed, and so is Winnie Neigh-Nay, the driver of the other car, but Winnie’s clearly peeved. Poor Toad! Our hero is understandably frustrated, but eventually, Pop reassures Toad that “we can fix it!” Young readers will relate to Toad’s eagerness to help and the emotions that follow as our protagonist fails; Awan emphasizes that everyone makes mistakes, but everything can be made right with a positive attitude. Featuring differently sized fonts and onomatopoeia, his spare, smartly paced rhyming text flows beautifully and is a natural choice for a raucous read-aloud. His trademark expressive digital art complements the writing and makes effective use of page turns, providing opportunities for further exploration with young readers; a series of spreads featuring Toad’s impatience at a stoplight builds epic layers of narrative tension while also offering a lesson on the meanings of the stoplight’s colors.
A hilarious yet sensitive look at a universal experience. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: June 16, 2026
ISBN: 9781774883501
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2026
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it.
What happens when a robot washes up alone on an island?
“Everything was just right on the island.” Brown beautifully re-creates the first days of Roz, the protagonist of his Wild Robot novels, as she adapts to living in the natural world. A storm-tossed ship, seen in the opening just before the title page, and a packing crate are the only other human-made objects to appear in this close-up look at the robot and her new home. Roz emerges from the crate, and her first thought as she sets off up a grassy hill—”This must be where I belong”—is sweetly glorious, a note of recognition rather than conquest. Roz learns to move, hide, and communicate like the creatures she meets. When she discovers an orphaned egg—and the gosling Brightbill, who eventually hatches—her decision to be his mother seems a natural extension of her adaptation. Once he flies south for the winter, her quiet wait across seasons for his return is a poignant portrayal of separation and change. Brown’s clean, precise lines and deep, light-filled colors offer a sense of what Roz might be seeing, suggesting a place that is alive yet deeply serene and radiant. Though the book stands alone, it adds an immensely appealing dimension to Roz’s world. Round thumbnails offer charming peeks into the island world, depicting Roz’s animal neighbors and Brightbill’s maturation.
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 24, 2025
ISBN: 9780316669467
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
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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