Should win this pair more friends and fans.
Winter fun…inside or out?
Friends and neighbors Croc and Turtle each make a list of snowy-day amusements. Turtle’s are all inside activities; Croc’s are all outside. Like the true friends they are, they compromise and decide to do everything on both lists. They start with ice skating, but Turtle’s never skated. It ends with a scary spin and a face-plant for Turtle. They switch to an indoor activity: making snowflakes. Turtle’s are beautiful; Croc’s are a confetti-and-tape mess. Sledding is terrifying (for Turtle), and a puzzle is boring (for Croc). The two have a falling out and go their separate ways. But a snowball fight and skiing are no fun for Croc without Turtle, and drawing and playing cards are equally joyless for Turtle…so the two apologize to each other, and Turtle has an idea. While Turtle makes cookies and cocoa inside, Croc builds an igloo outside; and the duo enjoys their warm treat in a frosty fort. Wohnoutka’s second chronicle of this reptile relationship is as charming and sunny (despite the wintry setting) as the first. The text consists entirely of dialogue, with each critter’s color-coded. Neither character has an assigned gender. Listeners and young readers will identify with the conflict and hopefully learn from the creative solution.
Should win this pair more friends and fans. (Picture book. 2-7)Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-68119-637-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
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
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BOOK REVIEW
Yes, the Pigeon has to go to school, and so do readers, and this book will surely ease the way.
All the typical worries and excuses kids have about school are filtered through Willems’ hysterical, bus-loving Pigeon.
Told mostly in speech balloons, the bird’s monologue will have kids (and their caregivers) in stitches at Pigeon’s excuses. From already knowing everything (except whatever question readers choose to provide in response to “Go ahead—ask me a question. / Any question!”) to fearing learning too much (“My head might pop off”), Pigeon’s imagination has run wild. Readers familiar with Pigeon will recognize the muted, matte backgrounds that show off the bird’s shenanigans so well. As in previous outings, Willems varies the size of the pigeon on the page to help communicate emotion, the bird teeny small on the double-page spread that illustrates the confession that “I’m… / scared.” And Pigeon’s eight-box rant about all the perils of school (“The unknown stresses me out, dude”) is marvelously followed by the realization (complete with lightbulb thought bubble) that school is the place for students to practice, with experts, all those skills they don’t yet have. But it is the ending that is so Willems, so Pigeon, and so perfect. Pigeon’s last question is “Well, HOW am I supposed to get there, anyway!?!” Readers will readily guess both the answer and Pigeon’s reaction.
Yes, the Pigeon has to go to school, and so do readers, and this book will surely ease the way. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 2, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-368-04645-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019
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