A frank look at conflict resolution.
A youngster makes an unexpected, edible friend.
Enola, a tiny tot with a wavy mop of brown hair, loves visiting Grandma Mimi. Grandma Mimi is the most easygoing, fun grandmother ever. She creates a blanket fort for Enola to sleep in, serves the best snacks, and even has an adorable pup named Hoagie. For lunch one day, Grandma Mimi makes hot dogs. Enola has never had one. Unfortunately, she can’t eat it, because, as she observes, using a child’s logic, it is “perfectly friend-shaped.” (The hot dog has a squiggle of mustard and a tiny smile.) Putting Hot Dog in a stroller, the trio (plus Hoagie) have many adventures throughout the day. They go to the movies, swim in the pool, and even win at bingo (much to the dismay of others—“NO FAIR! Hot dogs can’t play bingo!”). But then, the unthinkable happens. Hoagie…eats…Hot Dog. Great big sobs erupt from a furious, red-faced Enola: “MIMI, HOAGIE ATE HOT DOG! HOW COULD YOU LET THIS HAPPEN!” For the rest of the night, Enola is inconsolable. Displaying a strong understanding of a child’s sensibility, Kordesh concludes her silly yet spot-on tale with a reminder that accidents happen, but forgiveness is always possible. Surrounding friends in the cartoon art are diverse; bigheaded Enola and tattooed Mimi are pale-skinned.
A frank look at conflict resolution. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780593620472
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Rocky Pond Books/Penguin
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2024
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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