A silly romp that does some subtly hard lifting.
Ice cream cone…or magic hat?
One day Keith the cat is happily walking through the meadow when “Plop!”—a triple-scoop ice cream cone lands on his head (ice cream–side down). The other cats mock him…until he denies that it’s an ice cream cone. He says it’s a magic hat. Of course, now the others call on him to do some magic. As Keith reaches for the “chocolatey magic wand” that fell off his hat, it appears to move on its own (readers will note the line of tiny ants that are trying to make off with it). Keith sees the ants but the others don’t; now they want more magic, and Keith likes the attention. Keith (coincidentally) summons a family of rabbits that pops out of the ground, amazing the other cats. When a dog menaces the group, though, Keith can’t make it disappear, so they all race up a tree. When his ice cream hat slips off Keith’s head and lands on the dog, something unexpected happens. Prolific British author/illustrator Hendra’s 2012 tale of feline foolishness here makes its American debut. The boldly colored, digitally created illustrations are full of wide-eyed cats of different shades. With its brief text and clear visual cues, it’s a good introduction for younger preschoolers to the synergy of text and artwork.
A silly romp that does some subtly hard lifting. (Picture book. 2-7)Pub Date: May 8, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4814-9035-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
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
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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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