by Jason Carter Eaton ; illustrated by Matt Rockefeller ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 3, 2018
A swift and breathless tour.
On a beautiful day, Dewey sits under a shady tree, blowing bubbles by himself. “The best part of blowing bubbles is popping them,” he declares.
One bubble gets away, and Dewey decides to give chase. As the bubble floats away, Dewey first jumps, then clambers to the top of a jungle gym and then to the rooftop in an effort to catch the errant bubble. His quest takes him to the top of a skyscraper, then into a hot air balloon, and then onto a helicopter, then a biplane, then a zooming F-16; not high enough! He’ll never be able to catch it, unless…yes! It’s the day of the moon launch, and Dewey hitches a ride on a rocket, landing on the moon. In his spacesuit, the lack of gravity allows him to reach high, but the bubble remains just out of reach. Defeated, he returns home. It’s bedtime, but Dewey can’t resist one last look through his telescope—which yields a big surprise. Eaton and Rockefeller introduce readers to various forms of transportation with Dewey’s mad dash. Graphic panels speed readers through the story, but, rather like a bubble, it’s ultimately insubstantial. Dewey has olive skin and black hair, and among the aviators he encounters are a confident older black man and a young white woman.
A swift and breathless tour. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 3, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-62672-503-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2018
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by John Cena ; illustrated by Howard McWilliam ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 8, 2019
Engines won’t be the only thing roaring their approval when this book hits storytime.
Who needs sanity when you’ve got family?
The title character of Elbow Grease (2018) and his family of Demolition Derby trucks return to face an all-new competitor. Once again, ’Bo is feeling inadequate next to his fan-favorite brothers. Despite Mel the Mechanic’s encouragement—he’s “the best at getting better”—he wants to be noticed. But instead, he notices someone unavoidable. Motozilla, the monster machine that turns trucks “into crunch sandwiches,” is currently undefeated. Trouble is, you’d need a truck with an array of skills to take him down. Thinking fast, ’Bo makes the wild and somewhat improbable suggestion that he and his brothers join together to form a single supertruck. Will it be enough to take down this bully? Quips, jests, and teamwork are the name of the game as pro wrestler Cena improves on his writing in this second outing, which demonstrates that individual glory falls in the face of concentrated cooperation. Rollicking, radical art portrays the battle in all its gritty glory, mud and twisted metal galore. Human crowds show a diverse range of races and genders, and the trucks’ keeper, Mel, has light-brown skin and wears glasses.
Engines won’t be the only thing roaring their approval when this book hits storytime. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5247-7353-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: June 29, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
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by Candace Fleming ; illustrated by Eric Rohmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 21, 2021
Extremely simple and rather sweet.
Bulldozer is worried about what to give his friends for Christmas.
On Christmas Eve, Dump Truck is carrying, Digger Truck is stringing, and Crane Truck is lifting—all in service of decorating for Christmas. But Bulldozer is on the side, surrounded by cats, worrying. He has not a single gift for his friends. What can he do? He sees a tire half buried in the snow and wonders what other treasures might be there. He starts to dig, and he hits something…but it turns out to be junk. He keeps on digging and finds something else: “more junk.” He keeps digging and digging. The piles grow larger, the sky gets darker, and Bulldozer’s hope fades. But then he thinks he sees something through the snow. He pokes the pile of junk this way and that. He adds bits and pieces. As his friends call out to him that it’s quitting time, Bulldozer puts last touches on his gift. He moves aside to reveal his creation to his friends, and all are pleased with the gift. The little yellow Bulldozer with his entourage of animal friends is a likable character whose plight children will relate to and whose noncommercial solution is a model for creative youngsters to take as inspiration. Best for wrapping a message of giving within a truck-loving package full of sound effects. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Extremely simple and rather sweet. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 21, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-3820-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Caitlyn Dlouhy/Atheneum
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2021
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