An imaginative counting book that also encourages shape recognition and vocabulary building.
Counting down from 10, readers view colorful, neatly stacked shapes with a hint of the rearrangement—into familiar forms—that will follow after the page turn.
The text opposite the first group of shapes—rows of differently sized rectangles, some in yellow, some in blue—says, “Mix the shapes up, move them around, and they RESHAPE! These shapes reshape into BUZZY things! What could they be?” The following double-page spread shows a large, bold, black numeral 10 and says, “DRAGONFLIES, flittering and fluttering.” The dragonflies have been created from the exact array of shapes on the previous page, with tiny black dots added for eyes—a nice touch. Little ones will enjoy the repetition in the text of “What could they be?” after each hint. They are likely to guess that the “CLUCKY” things are chickens, and will probably not guess that the purple, “STOMPY” things are “2 RHINOCEROSES, stamping and stampeding.” The text offers plenty of interesting, accessible, descriptive words, and the clever artwork makes excellent use of color and shapes. Many of the answers also feature alliteration, as in “sniffly and snuffling” hedgehogs and “hungry and hunting” lions. The ending adds a further, winning dimension by quickly diminishing any fears of the “fearsome and fire-breathing” dragon with a comeuppance sure to delight little ones.
An imaginative counting book that also encourages shape recognition and vocabulary building. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: July 7, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-7636-9039-7
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: April 12, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2016
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
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BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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