Geography students interested in learning about new locations—or wanting to celebrate places near home—should enjoy this...
A robin gets an insider’s view of Los Angeles in this travelogue and fifth installment of a picture book series.
Although Robin flies to Los Angeles, she doesn’t use her wings but arrives in LAX like most tourists. The amiable bird hits a major event and many of the most famous spots of the well-known city, both entertaining and educational, including the Tournament of Roses Parade, the Griffith Park Observatory, the Hollywood Bowl, Grauman’s Chinese Theater, and Rodeo Drive. But some lesser-known treasures are also included, such as the Third and Fairfax Farmers Market, along with places of natural beauty like the Pacific Palisades and Los Liones Canyon. Barone’s (Where Is Robin? USA, 2017, etc.) selection of locations is excellent. But while her rhyming couplets are clean, they often scan unevenly, making it hard to keep a consistent rhythm. Robin also has a lot of experiences only available to celebrities and fictional characters: she’s able to play in a Kings’ hockey game, conduct the Los Angeles Philharmonic, sing at the Hollywood Bowl, and perform jazz at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Debut illustrator Gozhansky does a masterful job of keeping her images consistent with the rest of the series, and her cartoonish depictions of Robin make the discrepancies in the bird’s size from spread to spread seem reasonable. The cast, both animal and human, is as appealingly diverse as the Los Angeles sites.
Geography students interested in learning about new locations—or wanting to celebrate places near home—should enjoy this clever look at LA.Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-9906310-8-8
Page Count: 52
Publisher: Diplomat Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come.
Little Blue Truck and his pal Toad meet friends old and new on a springtime drive through the country.
This lift-the-flap, interactive entry in the popular Little Blue Truck series lacks the narrative strength and valuable life lessons of the original Little Blue Truck (2008) and its sequel, Little Blue Truck Leads the Way (2009). Both of those books, published for preschoolers rather than toddlers, featured rich storylines, dramatic, kinetic illustrations, and simple but valuable life lessons—the folly of taking oneself too seriously, the importance of friends, and the virtue of taking turns, for example. At about half the length and with half as much text as the aforementioned titles, this volume is a much quicker read. Less a story than a vernal celebration, the book depicts a bucolic drive through farmland and encounters with various animals and their young along the way. Beautifully rendered two-page tableaux teem with butterflies, blossoms, and vibrant pastel, springtime colors. Little Blue greets a sheep standing in the door of a barn: “Yoo-hoo, Sheep! / Beep-beep! / What’s new?” Folding back the durable, card-stock flap reveals the barn’s interior and an adorable set of twin lambs. Encounters with a duck and nine ducklings, a cow with a calf, a pig with 10 (!) piglets, a family of bunnies, and a chicken with a freshly hatched chick provide ample opportunity for counting and vocabulary work.
Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come. (Board book. 1-4)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-544-93809-0
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
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Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes.
A lift-the-flap book gives the littlest trick-or-treaters some practice identifying partygoers under their costumes.
Little Blue Truck and his buddy Toad are off to a party, and they invite readers (and a black cat) along for the ride: “ ‘Beep! Beep! Beep!’ / says Little Blue. / ‘It’s Halloween!’ / You come, too.” As they drive, they are surprised (and joined) by many of their friends in costume. “Who’s that in a tutu / striking a pose / up on the tiniest / tips of her toes? / Under the mask / who do you see?” Lifting the flap unmasks a friend: “ ‘Quack!’ says the duck. / ‘It’s me! It’s me!’ ” The sheep is disguised as a clown, the cow’s a queen, the pig’s a witch, the hen and her chick are pirates, and the horse is a dragon. Not to be left out, Little Blue has a costume, too. The flaps are large and sturdy, and enough of the animals’ characteristic features are visible under and around the costumes that little ones will be able to make successful guesses even on the first reading. Lovely curvy shapes and autumn colors fade to dusky blues as night falls, and children are sure to notice the traditional elements of a Halloween party: apple bobbing, lit jack-o’-lanterns, and punch and treats.
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-544-77253-3
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
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