Captures the dual nature of the feline friend, often “bad” but always your buddy.
Every sailor needs a cat—but what to do with seven bad ones?!
“Today I put on / my boots and my coat, / and seven bad cats / jumped into my boat.” One eats from the little sailor’s lobster pots, and two others snooze on the oars. Three pester crabs while hanging from the gunwale, and four keep stealing the poor sailor’s gloves. Five claw the sails to ribbons, and when the sea gets rough, six get sick in a bucket. When the boat capsizes, throwing everyone into the sea, readers learn this sailor can’t swim! “Fourteen small paws / lifted me in their grip, / and seven good cats / rescued me to my ship!” And counting back down from there, those bad cats prove themselves pretty perfect pussycat pals. Bonneau’s debut as author/illustrator is a rhymed counting tale starring a rosy-cheeked white sailor of indeterminate gender in a yellow slicker and their seven cats colored red, orange, yellow, white, black, blue, and purple. The rhymed couplets roll like the waves, and the watercolor-and-ink illustrations, mostly full-bleed, double-page spreads, are pale, simple, and charming. The kitties’ curves as they leap and pounce (and play with everything) and the young sailor’s emotions are deftly displayed in just a few lines.
Captures the dual nature of the feline friend, often “bad” but always your buddy. (Picture book. 2-7)Pub Date: June 5, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4926-5710-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: March 17, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2018
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own...
The sturdy Little Blue Truck is back for his third adventure, this time delivering Christmas trees to his band of animal pals.
The truck is decked out for the season with a Christmas wreath that suggests a nose between headlights acting as eyeballs. Little Blue loads up with trees at Toad’s Trees, where five trees are marked with numbered tags. These five trees are counted and arithmetically manipulated in various ways throughout the rhyming story as they are dropped off one by one to Little Blue’s friends. The final tree is reserved for the truck’s own use at his garage home, where he is welcomed back by the tree salestoad in a neatly circular fashion. The last tree is already decorated, and Little Blue gets a surprise along with readers, as tiny lights embedded in the illustrations sparkle for a few seconds when the last page is turned. Though it’s a gimmick, it’s a pleasant surprise, and it fits with the retro atmosphere of the snowy country scenes. The short, rhyming text is accented with colored highlights, red for the animal sounds and bright green for the numerical words in the Christmas-tree countdown.
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own tree that will put a twinkle in a toddler’s eyes. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-544-32041-3
Page Count: 24
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2014
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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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