Good fun for those shouty storytime crowds.
A humorous quiz that helps readers gauge just how special they really are.
Two bold questions set the stage: “Do you ever feel like you’re different from everyone else?” Does it sometimes seem like there’s no one quite like you?” If so…“You might be SPECIAL!” The sly narrator invites readers to take a quiz and find out. At first, the questions are fairly unremarkable (“Are you strong? Are you brave?”), but things quickly take an absurdist turn: “Can you cook hot dogs with your breath?” Wait, what? No? Then you certainly aren’t a…dragon! Children will delight in the abrupt change of events and will have fun guessing each mythical creature hinted before the page-turn reveals. There are, of course, positive traits that fairies, werewolves, mermaids, and more possess, and the youngster in this story—a tot with olive skin, dark hair, a gap-toothed grin, round, red spectacles, and a headband with two star-topped antennae—shares many of them. But the narrator is stumped. “What ARE you? What in the WORLD could you be???” (Hint: It’s a nod toward individuality.) Cutler’s energetic illustrations enhance the zany, playful tone depicting the child engaging with a diverse cast of friends and classmates. Each set of questions and answers occupies two spreads, the first focusing on the child in action and the second introducing the fanciful creature guessed at. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Good fun for those shouty storytime crowds. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5253-0333-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2021
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
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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
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