Narrowly focused but provides shot-phobic kids with a fun, genuinely useful coping tool.
In this picture book, a group of children helps a friend overcome her fear of an upcoming vaccination.
Through humorous storytelling and visuals, Ingels and illustrator Ballesteros approach a child’s dread of shots at the doctor’s office by demystifying the scary word needle. A little girl named Piper learns that her friend Maritza is afraid of getting a shot and leaps into action, putting on a show with her “Backyard Players.” When naming all kinds of needles (pine needles, sewing needles, “pins and needles,” and more) doesn’t quite do the trick, Piper’s friend Camille gives Maritza the key to dispelling her fear. Camille’s noodle bowl costume and a clever version of “Yankee Doodle Dandy” (lyrics included) come into play. Rendered in what appears to be ink and marker, Ballesteros’ comic book–style panels are alive with giggly details (a medical office overflows with noodles in bowls, on desks, and on examining tables; a space-adventure comic strip is a story within the story). Diverse children and adults are portrayed (Piper is White; Maritza is a Black girl; and an Asian American girl uses a wheelchair), and the book includes helpful tips for parents. (Ingels and Ballesteros first teamed up for Running of the Noses, 2022, the launch of their Piper + Enza Playdate series.) What is missing from this entertaining needle-noodle romp? Information to help children understand the “why” of shots.
Narrowly focused but provides shot-phobic kids with a fun, genuinely useful coping tool.Pub Date: Sept. 20, 2022
ISBN: 979-8985174311
Page Count: 44
Publisher: Piper + Enza
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Quirky, familiar fun for series devotees.
After Duncan finds his crayons gone—yet again—letters arrive, detailing their adventures in friendship.
Eleven crayons send missives from their chosen spots throughout Duncan’s home (and one from his classroom). Red enjoys the thrill of extinguishing “pretend fires” with Duncan’s toy firetruck. White, so often dismissed as invisible, finds a new calling subbing in for the missing queen on the black-and-white chessboard. “Now everyone ALWAYS SEES ME!…(Well, half the time!)” Pink’s living the dream as a pastry chef helming the Breezy Bake Oven, “baking everything from little cupcakes…to…OTHER little cupcakes!” Teal, who’s hitched a ride to school in Duncan’s backpack, meets the crayons in the boy’s desk and writes, “Guess what? I HAVE A TWIN! How come you never told me?” Duncan wants to see his crayons and “meet their new friends.” A culminating dinner party assembles the crayons and their many guests: a table tennis ball, dog biscuits, a well-loved teddy bear, and more. The premise—personified crayons, away and back again—is well-trammeled territory by now, after over a dozen books and spinoffs, and Jeffers once more delivers his signature cartooning and hand-lettering. Though the pages lack the laugh-out-loud sight gags and side-splittingly funny asides of previous outings, readers—especially fans of the crayons’ previous outings—will enjoy checking in on their pals.
Quirky, familiar fun for series devotees. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 3, 2025
ISBN: 9780593622360
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: March 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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