Stilted but enchantingly illustrated.
A charming pig wishes to be every animal but himself in this rhyming board book from debut author Orion and veteran illustrator Gallegos (The Santa Thief, 2017).
One summer morning, Ernie the pig is distracted from his mud puddle by a beautiful butterfly. He asks, quite politely, if she would teach him how to fly, but she calls him silly and tells him to “rejoice in the little things.” Ernie mopes down to the water where he sees fish swimming. He asks them to teach him how to swim and is similarly rebuffed. When he sees two squirrels climbing, he doesn’t even bother to ask them; he just wishes he could play in the trees like they do. But happily, when his fellow pigs call him back to the mud puddle, he joins in the fun. The theme of being happy with your own gifts is reminiscent of Leo Lionni’s classic Fish Is Fish, and readers will chuckle at Ernie’s imagined pictures of a pig with butterfly wings, a fish tail, and a squirrel body, delightfully conjured by Gallegos. Many of the rhyming couplets, however, are a stretch: flutter/flower, boy/cry, dream/swim, piggy/tizzy, etc. Young readers drawn to the pictures and old enough to read independently may not be bothered, but children learning how to rhyme may find these reaches off-putting. The book also offers an augmented reality app (not reviewed) to enhance Gallegos’s colorful illustrations.
Stilted but enchantingly illustrated.Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-9969264-0-9
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Augpix Ventures LLC
Review Posted Online: Feb. 5, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come.
Little Blue Truck and his pal Toad meet friends old and new on a springtime drive through the country.
This lift-the-flap, interactive entry in the popular Little Blue Truck series lacks the narrative strength and valuable life lessons of the original Little Blue Truck (2008) and its sequel, Little Blue Truck Leads the Way (2009). Both of those books, published for preschoolers rather than toddlers, featured rich storylines, dramatic, kinetic illustrations, and simple but valuable life lessons—the folly of taking oneself too seriously, the importance of friends, and the virtue of taking turns, for example. At about half the length and with half as much text as the aforementioned titles, this volume is a much quicker read. Less a story than a vernal celebration, the book depicts a bucolic drive through farmland and encounters with various animals and their young along the way. Beautifully rendered two-page tableaux teem with butterflies, blossoms, and vibrant pastel, springtime colors. Little Blue greets a sheep standing in the door of a barn: “Yoo-hoo, Sheep! / Beep-beep! / What’s new?” Folding back the durable, card-stock flap reveals the barn’s interior and an adorable set of twin lambs. Encounters with a duck and nine ducklings, a cow with a calf, a pig with 10 (!) piglets, a family of bunnies, and a chicken with a freshly hatched chick provide ample opportunity for counting and vocabulary work.
Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come. (Board book. 1-4)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-544-93809-0
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes.
A lift-the-flap book gives the littlest trick-or-treaters some practice identifying partygoers under their costumes.
Little Blue Truck and his buddy Toad are off to a party, and they invite readers (and a black cat) along for the ride: “ ‘Beep! Beep! Beep!’ / says Little Blue. / ‘It’s Halloween!’ / You come, too.” As they drive, they are surprised (and joined) by many of their friends in costume. “Who’s that in a tutu / striking a pose / up on the tiniest / tips of her toes? / Under the mask / who do you see?” Lifting the flap unmasks a friend: “ ‘Quack!’ says the duck. / ‘It’s me! It’s me!’ ” The sheep is disguised as a clown, the cow’s a queen, the pig’s a witch, the hen and her chick are pirates, and the horse is a dragon. Not to be left out, Little Blue has a costume, too. The flaps are large and sturdy, and enough of the animals’ characteristic features are visible under and around the costumes that little ones will be able to make successful guesses even on the first reading. Lovely curvy shapes and autumn colors fade to dusky blues as night falls, and children are sure to notice the traditional elements of a Halloween party: apple bobbing, lit jack-o’-lanterns, and punch and treats.
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-544-77253-3
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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