A tender tribute to birthdays and friendship—two things that only get better with age.
In this Australian import, a shared birthday leads to a relationship that lasts a lifetime.
Gus the crocodile loves performing for the zoo’s many visitors, “splashing and snapping for the cameras,” but his favorite guest is pale-skinned young Edward. While visiting the reptile enclosure on his birthday, Edward witnessed Gus hatch from his egg, and since then, he’s returned each year so the two can celebrate their big day together. When he grows up, Edward becomes a zookeeper who works at the reptile house, and he continues to visit on their birthday even after he retires. Though both are slowing down in their old age (Gus often feels “too tired to splash and snap,” while Edward complains of his aching hip), their bond endures. Until the day Edward fails to show up on their birthday. Worried, Gus sets out for Edward’s retirement home and discovers that his pal hasn’t forgotten about him, but he’s physically unable to make the trek to the zoo. An understanding nursing home attendant offers a solution, bringing Murray’s quiet friendship tale to a satisfying close. Serageldine’s soft, hazy illustrations anthropomorphize the title character with aplomb; big-eyed Gus sports a diaper after hatching and wears orange swimming trunks as an adult. Sight gags—Gus getting tangled in a retirement home resident’s knitting as he surreptitiously attempts to find Edward, Edward’s crocodile-covered jammies—infuse this sentimental tale with humor.
A tender tribute to birthdays and friendship—two things that only get better with age. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9781922610720
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Berbay Publishing
Review Posted Online: June 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
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
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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