An enjoyable, vividly illustrated story with an evergreen message.
Two pieces of fruit swap places in Kearney’s debut picture book.
As it hangs on a tree, an apple watches boats pass by on the ocean, but it can’t hear the water over the sounds of rustling leaves and branches. Meanwhile, a pineapple growing in a nearby field hears the sea, but its view is blocked by “tough leaves.” The fruits both wish upon a star “for what the other [fruit] had”; in the morning, they’ve switched locations. At first, they enjoy their fresh perspectives; the pineapple “felt the wind and watched the sea,” and the apple “listened to the joyful sound of the ocean waves.” However, the apple eventually turns soggy, and the pineapple becomes dehydrated. They wish upon another shooting star so that they may return to their homes; the next morning, they’re each back in their original locations, where they thrive. The story emphasizes natural sights and sounds as it encourages youngsters not only to seek new experiences, but also to appreciate what they have. Kedzierski’s scenic, full-color illustrations are dreamy and serene; the picturesque backgrounds feature gradient sunsets and multihued waters, and the fruits in the foreground have expressive faces. Others images incorporate realistic greenery and creatures such as butterflies, snails, and a fox.
An enjoyable, vividly illustrated story with an evergreen message.Pub Date: March 21, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-73307-050-8
Page Count: 34
Publisher: Wood Acres Press
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones.
Not even the arrival of autumn can cool down this impetuous squirrel.
Although Squirrel is skeptical about Bird’s vegetable patch (“Nothing is HAPPENING!”), Bird does produce five (count them) lovely pumpkins. Squirrel picks out a favorite: “The enormous orange one.” Bird hints that Squirrel might want to help out; Squirrel sets out to fetch some work gloves and returns to find only four pumpkins. The frequently distracted Squirrel notices more gourds disappearing and leaps to the conclusion that a thief is near. And where’s Bird?! Has Squirrel’s pal also been taken? Diligently detecting, Squirrel finds clues—peck marks, footprints, and more—and produces a sketch of the suspect. As readers will guess, each clue turns out to point to one of Squirrel and Bird’s friends. Turns out Bird was delivering pumpkins to their pals while saving the big one to give to “my very best friend,” Squirrel. But why does Squirrel haul it up a tree? “So the Pumpkin Thief can’t find it, of course!” A page of pumpkin facts provides the learning component common to all titles in this series. Once more, readers will enjoy the pleasure of prediction and repetition, Squirrel’s silly persistence, Bird’s generosity, and the vibrant color illustrations, balancing orange with green.
More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: July 28, 2026
ISBN: 9781464268076
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: yesterday
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2026
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