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WHY AM I HERE?

Solid rhymes and diverse representation freshen a familiar theme.

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A pair of children imagine the possibilities of their futures in this inclusive picture book.

When a girl with brown skin and brown curls questions her purpose in life, she says, “Sometimes I sit and I think about me. / I let my imagination go wild, go free!” As the girl imagines her future, she thinks of colorful prospects, distant places, and jobs she might have. But she knows she’s not the only one with a purpose: Everyone, she says, has a future path to dream into being despite any obstacles. Dunsen-White’s strong rhyme scheme carries the book through familiar waters, lingering only briefly on possible careers and focusing more on the journey toward the future. Although the book isn’t explicitly faith-based, a few notes indicate the girl’s belief not only in herself, but in something larger than her; this reference makes it easy to adapt the text to suit the needs of spiritually inclined readers. Illustrator Rizzo’s whimsical cartoon images highlight the colorful imagination of the point-of-view character, and inclusive rhymes, such as “Although I am probably different from you, / You have a purpose, deep down inside too” are surrounded by illustrations of children of various abilities and skin tones. The final pages encourage further discussion with family members.

Solid rhymes and diverse representation freshen a familiar theme.

Pub Date: Nov. 19, 2021

ISBN: 978-1-955154-08-6

Page Count: 36

Publisher: Self

Review Posted Online: April 19, 2022

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LITTLE BLUE TRUCK'S VALENTINE

Little Blue Truck keeps on truckin’—but not without some backfires.

Little Blue Truck feels, well, blue when he delivers valentine after valentine but receives nary a one.

His bed overflowing with cards, Blue sets out to deliver a yellow card with purple polka dots and a shiny purple heart to Hen, one with a shiny fuchsia heart to Pig, a big, shiny, red heart-shaped card to Horse, and so on. With each delivery there is an exchange of Beeps from Blue and the appropriate animal sounds from his friends, Blue’s Beeps always set in blue and the animal’s vocalization in a color that matches the card it receives. But as Blue heads home, his deliveries complete, his headlight eyes are sad and his front bumper droops ever so slightly. Blue is therefore surprised (but readers may not be) when he pulls into his garage to be greeted by all his friends with a shiny blue valentine just for him. In this, Blue’s seventh outing, it’s not just the sturdy protagonist that seems to be wilting. Schertle’s verse, usually reliable, stumbles more than once; stanzas such as “But Valentine’s Day / didn’t seem much fun / when he didn’t get cards / from anyone” will cause hitches during read-alouds. The illustrations, done by Joseph in the style of original series collaborator Jill McElmurry, are pleasant enough, but his compositions often feel stiff and forced.

Little Blue Truck keeps on truckin’—but not without some backfires. (Board book. 1-4)

Pub Date: Dec. 8, 2020

ISBN: 978-0-358-27244-1

Page Count: 20

Publisher: HMH Books

Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2021

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LOVE FROM THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR

Safe to creep on by.

Carle’s famous caterpillar expresses its love.

In three sentences that stretch out over most of the book’s 32 pages, the (here, at least) not-so-ravenous larva first describes the object of its love, then describes how that loved one makes it feel before concluding, “That’s why… / I[heart]U.” There is little original in either visual or textual content, much of it mined from The Very Hungry Caterpillar. “You are… / …so sweet,” proclaims the caterpillar as it crawls through the hole it’s munched in a strawberry; “…the cherry on my cake,” it says as it perches on the familiar square of chocolate cake; “…the apple of my eye,” it announces as it emerges from an apple. Images familiar from other works join the smiling sun that shone down on the caterpillar as it delivers assurances that “you make… / …the sun shine brighter / …the stars sparkle,” and so on. The book is small, only 7 inches high and 5 ¾ inches across when closed—probably not coincidentally about the size of a greeting card. While generations of children have grown up with the ravenous caterpillar, this collection of Carle imagery and platitudinous sentiment has little of his classic’s charm. The melding of Carle’s caterpillar with Robert Indiana’s iconic LOVE on the book’s cover, alas, draws further attention to its derivative nature.

Safe to creep on by. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: Dec. 15, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-448-48932-2

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap

Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2021

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