A book that runs like a well-oiled machine; expect a load of love from both truck fanatics and pet owners.
The care and feeding of ravenously hungry trucks.
The team behind How to Eat an Airplane (2016) returns with a slightly less ridiculous, yet still highly whackadoodle, tale of pet ownership. “Everyone knows that dump trucks make the best pets. However, adopting a dump truck is a big responsibility.” Certainly owning a pet truck isn’t just something you jump into. After finding the right one you’ll need to feed it, get it licensed, walk it, and keep it in line. Illustrating the second-person text, an enthusiastic child takes the truck to exercise at the local construction site and cleans up after it, even when it, er, dumps. Not a single step in pet-truck ownership is skimped, whether it’s bathtime or bedtime. There’s even a highly informative (and lengthy) fact-filled quiz at the end in which kids can try to determine if the questionnaire is discussing a dog or a dump truck. The book bears many similarities to Jason Carter Eaton and John Rocco’s How to Track a Truck (2016) as a how-to on truck ownership, but the unusual, Terry Gilliam–esque art stands out. Digitally collaged illustrations present a mixed-media look and feel. Humans in the story present an array of different skin tones, with the protagonist presenting white.
A book that runs like a well-oiled machine; expect a load of love from both truck fanatics and pet owners. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 25, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-06-232063-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
Comical and heartwarming, this title should spark discussions of relationships and understanding
Love can be expressed in many different ways.
Young, bubbly Daisy eagerly awaits the arrival of her paternal grandfather from China. She’s already made a list of activities to make sure “This will be the best week ever!” When Yeh-Yeh finally arrives, Daisy notices that “Grandpa isn’t jolly”—even after she gives him a hug. “Would you like some tea?” Daisy offers. Although she arranges a full tea party complete with stuffed animals, Yeh-Yeh reacts only with a stern “Harrumph.” Undeterred, Daisy brings him one of her books to read. Yeh-Yeh attempts to communicate with Daisy, suggesting in Mandarin that she read his Chinese newspaper; misunderstanding, she takes it as a request for an art session. Yan’s cartoons have the look of modern animation; rendered in bright blended colors, they are sure to elicit giggles with their portrayals of Daisy’s failed attempts to engage her grandfather. A discouraged Daisy asks, “Mama, why is Yeh-Yeh such a grump?” Mama answers, “He shows love in other ways.” Shifting paradigms, Daisy and Yeh-Yeh finally make headway through a shared love of food (recipe appended). Daisy and her family are Chinese, and a handful of romanized Chinese appears within the well-structured text, with many Chinese characters in the illustrations. Both characters and romanized Chinese appear with their English translations on the endpapers in a decorative picture dictionary.
Comical and heartwarming, this title should spark discussions of relationships and understanding (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4998-0886-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2020
Visually appealing, but this is one celebration kids won’t be begging to attend.
Making mistakes is demoralizing; husband-and-wife team Brad and Kristi Montague have a solution: hold a Fail-a-Bration.
A Fail-a-Bration, the authors explain, is a party where participants consider past mistakes and learn from them together. Racially diverse kids, including one who uses a wheelchair, and several animals—a mouse, a bear, and a dinosaur—deal with minor but disheartening failures, from being cut from a sports team and spilling milk to ripping one’s pants while dancing to breaking a toy plane. Well, the dinosaur inadvertently frightens everyone, but most of the misfortunes are everyday occurrences. The suggestions for throwing a Fail-a-Bration are practical—send out invitations, decorate, and set up activities—but do most kids really want to attend a party where they discuss their mistakes? To say, “I failed at something today. Tomorrow, I’ll fail better”? One of the suggested party games is Terrible Charades, where players intentionally mislead guessers, which might be fun but will also be challenging for young children. The story’s didactic approach and purposeful verse are made more palatable by amusing illustrations done in a collage style, complete with real elements, such as cake icing, red-and-white bakery string, cookies, and cardboard. Overall, the premise falls a bit flat, but given many schools’ emphasis on social-emotional learning, educators may find the book useful.
Visually appealing, but this is one celebration kids won’t be begging to attend. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2024
ISBN: 9780593697146
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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