by Ramon Olivera ; illustrated by Ramon Olivera ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 5, 2016
Start your engines! (Picture book. 4-7)
Moving vehicles are not a new theme for alphabet books, but only a few tackle a variety of machines rather than focusing on just one type; this is one of those exceptions.
Uncluttered, graphically flat illustrations make this one appealing. The majority of the letters are used descriptively or associatively rather than beginning names of wheeled vehicles. Given that approach, some letters are logical, such as Aa for axle, Bb for bumper, Gg for garage and grease, and Yy for yellow cab, while others are a stretch. It’s the creative juxtaposition of images across the double-page spreads that create scenes and keep this from needing an oil change. Jj for junkyard and Kk for kaput show a tow truck hauling away a crashed SUV; Pp and Qq for plugged in and quiet demonstrate an electric car undergoing tests; a man in a hot rod is seen chasing an ice-cream truck. Unusual choices are Rr for (lunar) rover, Ss for stagecoach, Uu for underdog, Vv for victory lane, and Ww for winner. For the letter Xx, two dueling excavators form an X with their buckets poised to dig over a marked spot. A natural pairing is Ll for limousine and Mm for motorcade. Olivera depicts humans in a variety of skin tones, adding whimsy with such touches as a bulldog in a bowler hat, a knight in full armor, and the queen all riding in a double-decker London bus.
Start your engines! (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: July 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-3244-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2016
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by Alice Hemming ; illustrated by Nicola Slater ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 28, 2023
A laugh-out-loud tale that also fosters respect for nature.
Bird gives Squirrel a lesson in spring and the flowers that come with it.
Everyone’s favorite overly possessive squirrel, introduced in The Leaf Thief (2021), returns for a new seasonal tale. Happy to see the leaves back on their tree, Squirrel is surprised by odd sounds. Then a strange bird flies at Squirrel’s head. Squirrel runs to their friend Bird, who has all the answers: Those noises were a cuckoo’s call and a bumblebee, and the bird was a swallow—all are signs of spring. The duo discover a tiny yellow flower, which Bird says is another sign of spring. Squirrel asserts possession (of course) and proceeds to try to protect it. Squirrel wants to keep it from getting wet, but Bird explains the flower needs the rain. Squirrel tries to safeguard the flower from the bees until Bird says that bees help flowers. After Squirrel’s attempt to keep the flower safe under a bucket nearly kills it, Bird persuades Squirrel to leave the flower be…and the next morning, they wake to a wonderful surprise. Hemming’s naïve squirrel and sage bird team up again for a giggle-inducing lesson about the natural world, brought to life by Slater’s energetic, bright, digitally created art, featuring endearing, big-eyed characters. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A laugh-out-loud tale that also fosters respect for nature. (flower facts) (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 28, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-72827-136-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
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BOOK REVIEW
by Alice Hemming ; illustrated by Nicola Slater
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by Alice Hemming ; illustrated by Kathryn Durst
by Mike Bender ; illustrated by Diana Mayo ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 20, 2021
A mind-stretching outlook that may help youngsters with change—and will certainly cause them to think.
A cyclical take on life.
Endings can sometimes feel sad or heavy in their finality. But Bender reverses this perspective. In fact, the story starts, as a tiny caterpillar tells readers, with “THE END.” A young tot on a bed closing a book looks puzzled. Bender acknowledges the absurdity. “But wait—how can a book possibly start with the end? That’s ridiculous.” It’s not, once you change your frame of reference. Continuing in a conversational tone, Bender gives examples. Some are personal and immediate: “The end of a disagreement with someone … / is just the beginning of making up.” Others are more abstract: “When you count, the end of one number is just the beginning of the next number… / and so on and so on and so on, all the way to infinity, which, by the way, NEVER ends!” Two friends or perhaps siblings (one with brown skin and brown hair in two Afro puffs, the other with pale skin and straight, black hair) act out the scenarios, which are strung together over the course of a day from one morning to the next. Mayo’s illustrations also dance between concrete and abstract, illustrating disagreement with one kid scowling, sitting back to the other, who looks distressed, next to a ruined sand castle and infinity with an image of the two kids cycling along an enormous infinity sign. In a meta-infused closing, Bender concludes with “THE BEGINNING / (of discovering the next book).” A cleverly placed butterfly flits away. The hazy wash over muted tones gives a warm, cozy embrace to the message. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 48.2% of actual size.)
A mind-stretching outlook that may help youngsters with change—and will certainly cause them to think. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 20, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-984896-93-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
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by Mike Bender ; illustrated by Hugh Murphy
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