A playful story of youthful imagination that emphasizes taking responsibility.
In this picture book, a child blames a monster for his disruptive behavior.
A brown-skinned boy explains that there’s a monster in the house who causes “chaos, fuss and RUCKUS!” For instance, the monster jumps on the kid’s bed, ransacks his belongings, eats the Halloween candy, and dunks a ball in the toilet. But when the monster starts drawing all over the walls and windows, he trips, stumbles down the stairs, and noisily breaks a vase. The boy begins crying, and Mommy rushes in. Though the illustrations show that the youngster was actually the troublemaker all along, he blames the commotion on a scary interloper. But Mommy isn’t convinced. She surveys the mess and “finds no monster who’d confess.” After escorting her child to the kitchen for dinner, she instructs: “Eat up little monster.” Dee’s silly but amusing tale features common mishaps that parents and mischievous kids will relate to. Although the boy doesn’t actually admit he caused the turmoil, the story will still remind young readers about the importance of assuming responsibility. Lock’s pleasant, vivid cartoon illustrations show the various misdeeds. Bold colors and textured pages enhance the images that portray the monster. When the narrator describes the intruder’s actions, the illustrations show a creepy figure with a pink, bumpy head.
A playful story of youthful imagination that emphasizes taking responsibility.Pub Date: Nov. 8, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-08-797986-1
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Boomi LLC
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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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 tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren.
In talk-show host Fallon and illustrator Ordóñez’s latest picture-book collaboration, an elderly pooch waxes rhapsodic about a life well lived.
Observing Papa sitting in his chair watching TV all day, a young pup says, “I’m starting to think…you don’t do ANYTHING.” So Papa proceeds to list his accomplishments, both big and small, mundane and profound. Some are just a result of being older and physically bigger (being tall enough to reach a high shelf and strong enough to open jars); others include winning a race and performing in a band when he was younger. Eventually, the pup realizes that while Papa may have slowed down in his old age, he’s led a full life. The most satisfying thing about Papa’s life now? Watching his grandchild take center stage: “I can say lots of thoughts / but I choose to be quiet. / I’d rather you discover things and then try it.” Fallon’s straightforward text is sweetly upbeat, though it occasionally lacks flow, forcing incongruous situations together to fit the rhyme scheme (“I cook and I mow, / and I once flew a plane. // I play newspaper puzzles because it’s good for my brain”). Featuring uncluttered, colorful backgrounds, Ordóñez’s child-friendly digital art at times takes on sepia tones, evoking the sense of looking back at old photos or memories. Though the creators tread familiar ground, the love between Papa and his little one is palpable.
A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 13, 2025
ISBN: 9781250393975
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
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