Ohi’s toys keep getting more real with every outing—what new problem will they tackle next? (Picture book. 1-5)
The trio of best friends is back (Chicken, Pig, Cow on the Move, 2011), but this time the problem they solve is of their own making.
All three toys are impressed with the block city Girl has made, but Chicken declares it perfect only after he adds a chicken statue crafted from yellow leaves and red flowers. Meanwhile, Pig just can’t contain his enthusiasm. Predictably, his zip-zooming wrecks Chicken’s chicken. After the I-told-you-so’s and Pig’s failed attempt to repair the statue, a teary-eyed Pig runs off and gets out his manic energy in a few acts of derring-do that lead to the destruction of something much larger than a statue. Convinced of his innate badness, Pig hides under the couch. In the meantime, Chicken and Cow devise a way to keep Dog (who is real) from getting the blame. Pig’s eventual apology and request to help rebuild the statue are heartfelt, and his friends reassure him that he is not bad: “You’re a good friend who was in a bad, mad mood.” While this may be true of Pig’s destruction of the city, adults may need to address Pig’s initial poor decision to run around. Short sentences and simple vocabulary make this accessible for early readers. Ohi’s watercolors are as endearing as ever, watercolor strokes conveying the characters’ every emotion.
Ohi’s toys keep getting more real with every outing—what new problem will they tackle next? (Picture book. 1-5)Pub Date: May 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-55451-370-3
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Annick Press
Review Posted Online: March 27, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character.
One of Boynton's signature characters celebrates Halloween.
It's Halloween time, and Pookie the pig is delighted. Mom helps the little porker pick out the perfect Halloween costume, a process that spans the entire board book. Using an abcb rhyme scheme, Boynton dresses Pookie in a series of cheerful costumes, including a dragon, a bunny, and even a caped superhero. Pookie eventually settles on the holiday classic, a ghost, by way of a bedsheet. Boynton sprinkles in amusing asides to her stanzas as Pookie offers costume commentary ("It's itchy"; "It's hot"; "I feel silly"). Little readers will enjoy the notion of transforming themselves with their own Halloween costumes while reading this book, and a few parents may get some ideas as well. Boynton's clean, sharp illustrations are as good as ever. This is Pookie's first holiday title, but readers will surely welcome more.
A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: July 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-553-51233-5
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Robin Corey/Random
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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