Combine this with a nonfiction look at hibernation to round out a winter storytime.
The forest creatures from Too Many Carrots (2016) who were so put out by Rabbit’s foodstuff this time are vexing to Tortoise, who is trying to hibernate.
The opening spread is somnolent and peaceful, picturing Tortoise bedded down on a platform in a tree under a tentlike piece of fabric. A sign reads “DO NOT DISTURB (until Spring).” But close observers will see another sign on the tree and a robin winging toward it. A change in perspective reveals Robin’s plan for a Christmas singing class. Grumpy Tortoise refuses Robin’s offer to join, stating “Tortoises don’t like winter” in what will become a repeated refrain. Packing up, he moves on, but his slumber is interrupted by Rabbit’s carving ice sculptures, and then by Squirrel and Rabbit’s snowball fight, and finally by Beaver’s tree-felling. By this time readers will be ready for the punch line, and Hudson delivers it in spades: Tortoise’s final resting spot is a flat piece of wood at the top of a hill: a sled! And even a winter-hating hibernator cannot help but delight in the downhill ride, which is followed by some sliding on the icy pond with friends. The ending finds all but Tortoise asleep together indoors. Hudson’s detailed and colorful artwork is sure to attract attention, and the animals are cuddly cute with expressive faces, especially Tortoise’s.
Combine this with a nonfiction look at hibernation to round out a winter storytime. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-62370-869-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
Review Posted Online: June 26, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A valuable asset to the library of a child who experiences anxiety and a great book to get children talking about their...
Ruby is an adventurous and happy child until the day she discovers a Worry.
Ruby barely sees the Worry—depicted as a blob of yellow with a frowny unibrow—at first, but as it hovers, the more she notices it and the larger it grows. The longer Ruby is affected by this Worry, the fewer colors appear on the page. Though she tries not to pay attention to the Worry, which no one else can see, ignoring it prevents her from enjoying the things that she once loved. Her constant anxiety about the Worry causes the bright yellow blob to crowd Ruby’s everyday life, which by this point is nearly all washes of gray and white. But at the playground, Ruby sees a boy sitting on a bench with a growing sky-blue Worry of his own. When she invites the boy to talk, his Worry begins to shrink—and when Ruby talks about her own Worry, it also grows smaller. By the book’s conclusion, Ruby learns to control her Worry by talking about what worries her, a priceless lesson for any child—or adult—conveyed in a beautifully child-friendly manner. Ruby presents black, with hair in cornrows and two big afro-puff pigtails, while the boy has pale skin and spiky black hair.
A valuable asset to the library of a child who experiences anxiety and a great book to get children talking about their feelings (. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0237-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: May 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019
A sweet reminder that it’s easy to weather a storm with the company and kindness of friends.
Is it a stormy-night scare or a bedtime book? Both!
Little Blue Truck and his good friend Toad are heading home when a storm lets loose. Before long, their familiar, now very nervous barnyard friends (Goat, Hen, Goose, Cow, Duck, and Pig) squeeze into the garage. Blue explains that “clouds bump and tumble in the sky, / but here inside we’re warm and dry, / and all the thirsty plants below / will get a drink to help them grow!” The friends begin to relax. “Duck said, loud as he could quack it, / ‘THUNDER’S JUST A NOISY RACKET!’ ” In the quiet after the storm, the barnyard friends are sleepy, but the garage is not their home. “ ‘Beep!’ said Blue. ‘Just hop inside. / All aboard for the bedtime ride!’ ” Young readers will settle down for their own bedtimes as Blue and Toad drop each friend at home and bid them a good night before returning to the garage and their own beds. “Blue gave one small sleepy ‘Beep.’ / Then Little Blue Truck fell fast asleep.” Joseph’s rich nighttime-blue illustrations (done “in the style of [series co-creator] Jill McElmurry”) highlight the power of the storm and capture the still serenity that follows. Little Blue Truck has been chugging along since 2008, but there seems to be plenty of gas left in the tank.
A sweet reminder that it’s easy to weather a storm with the company and kindness of friends. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 22, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-328-85213-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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