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TABITHA AND FRITZ TRADE PLACES

A satisfying spin on the trading-places trope.

It’s the getaway that’s everything Fritz and Tabitha want and need…until it isn’t.

Tabitha, an orange cat from the suburbs, and Fritz, an elephant with a yen for travel, meet on the website Lair-bnb. Tabitha needs to get out of her little brick house—and away from Claudia, her little human, who’s a bit aggressive with the makeovers. Fritz has had enough of the herd for a while. Fritz loves the “watering hole” (a swimming pool) that Claudia takes him to after his long flight. Tabitha’s overjoyed to find some “family in the area” (a pair of cheetahs). (Throughout, readers are treated to Stansfield’s visual representations of the animals’ misconceptions.) But soon the excitement of the swap wears off. Fritz nearly cracks a tusk on a giant fake doughnut outside a bakery, and Tabitha’s mouse pizza horrifies Fritz’s herd. After a disaster when Fritz mistakes Claudia’s birthday party for his and a painful run-in with a hippo for Tabitha, both think an early swap back is a good idea—but their thank-you gifts to each other indicate warm feelings on both sides. Frawley’s tongue-in-cheek tale is told entirely in Lair-bnb messages between the two vacationers as each describes their trip to their counterpart. Starting with the endpapers, Stansfield’s bright cartoons offer plenty of little background giggles as well as plenty of foreground laughs.

A satisfying spin on the trading-places trope. (Picture book. 2-7)

Pub Date: Jan. 19, 2021

ISBN: 978-1-5420-0854-9

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Two Lions

Review Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2020

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CARPENTER'S HELPER

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

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LITTLE BLUE TRUCK'S HALLOWEEN

Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes.

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 19, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016

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