A sweet tale worth slowing down to read.
A Black child rushes through the city to meet his grandmother.
Meet A-Train Allen, who takes his time getting to school in the morning but is known for speeding back home (it’s said that he can traverse the city faster than the subway—hence his nickname). A-Train Allen flies through the park, past the big kids playing basketball and the older men playing chess. As fast as he may be, he’s careful when he crosses the street. Barreling down the pavement, he responds to passersby with, “Got somewhere to be, got somewhere to be!” Depicting a busy, diverse city reminiscent of New York, Ollivierre’s illustrations are all brightness and movement as the boy weaves through crowded streets. A-Train Allen doesn’t slow until he reaches the elevated train station, where the tracks are vibrating with the arrival of a train. Soon after, his grandmother emerges with a kiss and buckets of praise for her grandson, who seems to beat her to the subway stop daily. Now that he’s reunited with his grandmother, A-Train can enjoy a safe and supervised walk home. Younge’s bouncy text makes dynamic use of color, font, and vocabulary (A-Train Allen “bolt[s],” “dash[es], and “skid[s]” on his way home) for a tale of vitality and verve that will resonate with fans of The Quickest Kid in Clarksville (2016) by Pat Zietlow Miller, illustrated by Frank Morrison. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A sweet tale worth slowing down to read. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 15, 2023
ISBN: 9781534111837
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
Fun times, fond friends, and a festive farmyard setting—little ones will be charmed.
Beep! Beep! Beep! Toad and Little Blue Truck get ready for a hayride.
After the titular vehicle is loaded with hay, Toad is nowhere to be found. “Beep! Beep! Beep! Where are you, Toad?” asks Little Blue Truck. All the barnyard animals look for him. Sheep searches the meadow. Goose and Duck check the pond. Others pitch in, too, but Toad seems to have disappeared…until Hen hears snoring coming from the pile of hay in the back of Little Blue Truck. Although the text’s scansion is imperfect in places (adults may want to pre-read to ensure a smooth read-aloud), the bouncy meter and rhyming text nevertheless capture the energy of the search and the farmyard community’s concern for Toad’s safety, making this a solid storytime choice. Eye-catching illustrations with rich, fully saturated colors balance the right level of detail while still highlighting the animal that is the focus of each verse. By introducing one farm animal at a time, Schertle also helps the youngest readers begin to identify barnyard animals by name and understand their unique farm homes. Traditional animal sounds are part of the text, and listeners will add them to their vocabulary. It all ends with the promised hayride, bringing the tale to a joyous ending.
Fun times, fond friends, and a festive farmyard setting—little ones will be charmed. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2026
ISBN: 9780063436121
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 20, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads.
Emma deals with jitters before playing the guitar in the school talent show.
Pop musician Kevin Jonas and his wife, Danielle, put performance at the center of their picture-book debut. When Emma is intimidated by her very talented friends, the encouragement of her younger sister, Bella, and the support of her family help her to shine her own light. The story is straightforward and the moral familiar: Draw strength from your family and within to overcome your fears. Employing the performance-anxiety trope that’s been written many times over, the book plods along predictably—there’s nothing really new or surprising here. Dawson’s full-color digital illustrations center a White-presenting family along with Emma’s three friends of color: Jamila has tanned skin and wears a hijab; Wendy has dark brown skin and Afro puffs; and Luis has medium brown skin. Emma’s expressive eyes and face are the real draw of the artwork—from worry to embarrassment to joy, it’s clear what she’s feeling. A standout double-page spread depicts Emma’s talent show performance, with a rainbow swirl of music erupting from an amp and Emma rocking a glam outfit and electric guitar. Overall, the book reads pretty plainly, buoyed largely by the artwork. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35207-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
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