A love letter to hard work and shared legacy.
A little girl teaches her mechanic grandfather “the importance of taking care of old and forgotten things.”
In the garage, Ju-Girl works hard to help Granddad fix cars for their Jamaican community. The two take a break to sip Ting on the bed of Granddad’s pickup truck. As Granddad tells stories of his younger self, Ju-Girl learns how Blue Pickup connects her to the history of her community—Granddad drove Blue Pickup to deliver everything from newspapers to Jamaican calico cloth. But Ting time and daydreams must come to an end, because there’s work to be done and cars to be fixed. Still, Ju-Girl believes Blue Pickup can be restored to its former glory, perhaps with just an oil swap, new brakes, and a new battery—all of which she’s learned to recognize from dutifully assisting her granddad. Convinced, Granddad does all the fixes short of checking the oil, saving that for the excited little girl, who has the savvy of a veteran mechanic. As the two cruise around town, taking in the history and present of their vibrant neighborhood and picking up a socket set specifically for Ju-Girl, readers are left with the sense that all can be fixed with the right tools…and taking time out for Ting. Lively, richly saturated illustrations bring to life Ju-Girl’s beloved community, while the simple yet vivid text, filled with sensory descriptions, captures a child’s perspective perfectly.
A love letter to hard work and shared legacy. (author’s note) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9780063159877
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
Fun times, fond friends, and a festive farmyard setting—little ones will be charmed.
Beep! Beep! Beep! Toad and Little Blue Truck get ready for a hayride.
After the titular vehicle is loaded with hay, Toad is nowhere to be found. “Beep! Beep! Beep! Where are you, Toad?” asks Little Blue Truck. All the barnyard animals look for him. Sheep searches the meadow. Goose and Duck check the pond. Others pitch in, too, but Toad seems to have disappeared…until Hen hears snoring coming from the pile of hay in the back of Little Blue Truck. Although the text’s scansion is imperfect in places (adults may want to pre-read to ensure a smooth read-aloud), the bouncy meter and rhyming text nevertheless capture the energy of the search and the farmyard community’s concern for Toad’s safety, making this a solid storytime choice. Eye-catching illustrations with rich, fully saturated colors balance the right level of detail while still highlighting the animal that is the focus of each verse. By introducing one farm animal at a time, Schertle also helps the youngest readers begin to identify barnyard animals by name and understand their unique farm homes. Traditional animal sounds are part of the text, and listeners will add them to their vocabulary. It all ends with the promised hayride, bringing the tale to a joyous ending.
Fun times, fond friends, and a festive farmyard setting—little ones will be charmed. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2026
ISBN: 9780063436121
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 20, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads.
Emma deals with jitters before playing the guitar in the school talent show.
Pop musician Kevin Jonas and his wife, Danielle, put performance at the center of their picture-book debut. When Emma is intimidated by her very talented friends, the encouragement of her younger sister, Bella, and the support of her family help her to shine her own light. The story is straightforward and the moral familiar: Draw strength from your family and within to overcome your fears. Employing the performance-anxiety trope that’s been written many times over, the book plods along predictably—there’s nothing really new or surprising here. Dawson’s full-color digital illustrations center a White-presenting family along with Emma’s three friends of color: Jamila has tanned skin and wears a hijab; Wendy has dark brown skin and Afro puffs; and Luis has medium brown skin. Emma’s expressive eyes and face are the real draw of the artwork—from worry to embarrassment to joy, it’s clear what she’s feeling. A standout double-page spread depicts Emma’s talent show performance, with a rainbow swirl of music erupting from an amp and Emma rocking a glam outfit and electric guitar. Overall, the book reads pretty plainly, buoyed largely by the artwork. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35207-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
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