A whimsical tale about following dreams and working hard to achieve them.
Keyes considers a lesser-known ursine Easter entity in this picture book.
Finn is a bear, but he doesn’t share most of the bearlike characteristics of his classmates, such as eating honey or catching fish. Instead, he prefers gentler pursuits, like painting and eating chocolate. When Finn shares that he wants to be the Easter Bunny when he grows up, he’s disheartened when his classmates (and then then his father) laugh at him. His mother is immediately supportive, telling Finn that, if he comes in first place during the Easter Bunny test, he’ll achieve his dream. Finn starts practicing important Easter Bunny skills, like hiding eggs, weaving baskets, and hopping delicately through the forest, but he’s not very good at them. Then, he discovers painting eggs; while he’s fantastic at decorating, he’s nervous about the springtime test and wakes up repeatedly during winter hibernation to practice his skill (“With a few brushstrokes, he turned plain, boring eggs into something magical”). When Finn goes to test with the others (all rabbits), he feels out of place and too gigantic, but he tries his best. Maris’ color illustrations are adorable—the characters are wonderfully expressive throughout the book, and she’s taken special care with Finn’s eyes, which are humorously framed by his glasses.
A whimsical tale about following dreams and working hard to achieve them.Pub Date: Jan. 29, 2024
ISBN: 9798218306632
Page Count: 31
Publisher: Happy Camper Publishing
Review Posted Online: Feb. 27, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
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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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