Tongue-twister–y fun celebrating the joys of being owned by a cat.
What a splendid cat(icus) is Atticus.
A beige-skinned kid with dark hair plays a cardboard drum to wake the sleepy feline: “Rat-a-tat-tat-ticus.” After a stretch and a hunch, Atticus “yawns with his whole head.” As the day continues, the text unfolds in a pattern, an abcb-rhyming stanza and then an exclamation that plays with the sounds in Atticus Caticus. The rattle of his food box calls Atticus to the kitchen. “He gobbles his food / without any delay, / then drinks from my glass / while I’m looking away. Atticus Caticus, / tummy so fat-ticus!” Then it’s time for lying in a sunbeam, when he becomes “Atticus Caticus, / flat-a-tat-tat-ticus.” Child and Atticus chat with a bird and play with a string, and Atticus stages a toe ambush. At the end of the day, “I get in the tub and / he comes to get clean. / He licks and he licks— / he’s a licking machine. / Atticus Caticus / bathes on a bath mat-ticus.” Then it’s to bed, where Atticus sleeps on his kid’s head (after some blanket kneading). Kramer’s energetic illustrations have the look of scribbly colored pencil over block-printed background patterns. Their bright and silly expressiveness is an excellent match for Maizes’ rollicking text, which should make for many enjoyable read-alouds.
Tongue-twister–y fun celebrating the joys of being owned by a cat. (Picture book. 2-7)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5362-0840-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2021
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Innovative and thoroughly enjoyable.
You think you know shapes? Animals? Blend them together, and you might see them both a little differently!
What a mischievous twist on a concept book! With wordplay and a few groan-inducing puns, Neal creates connections among animals and shapes that are both unexpected and so seemingly obvious that readers might wonder why they didn’t see them all along. Of course, a “lazy turtle” meeting an oval would create the side-splitting combo of a “SLOW-VAL.” A dramatic page turn transforms a deeply saturated, clean-lined green oval by superimposing a head and turtle shell atop, with watery blue ripples completing the illusion. Minimal backgrounds and sketchy, impressionistic detailing keep the focus right on the zany animals. Beginning with simple shapes, the geometric forms become more complicated as the book advances, taking readers from a “soaring bird” that meets a triangle to become a “FLY-ANGLE” to a “sleepy lion” nonagon “YAWN-AGON.” Its companion text, Animal Colors, delves into color theory, this time creating entirely hybrid animals, such as the “GREEN WHION” with maned head and whale’s tail made from a “blue whale and a yellow lion.” It’s a compelling way to visualize color mixing, and like Animal Shapes, it’s got verve. Who doesn’t want to shout out that a yellow kangaroo/green moose blend is a “CHARTREUSE KANGAMOOSE”?
Innovative and thoroughly enjoyable. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: March 27, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4998-0534-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
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