An amusing riff on an old favorite that’ll please many little ones.
The wheel on the bus goes bust.
A red bus filled with all sorts of anthropomorphic animals is chugging along when suddenly: “BANG! Uh-oh!” One of the tires has been punctured, stopping the bus in its tracks. “The driver on the bus says, ‘Off, off, off,’ ” and “the handywoman’s wrench goes click, clack, click” as the text continues in tune with the famous song and the animals figure out what to do with a broken bus. Little readers familiar with the “Wheels on the Bus” will love this new spin on the standard, and caregivers will certainly appreciate a variation on a song they’ve sung more times than they can count. The illustrations are drawn and colored with simplicity, presenting the series of events as plainly as possible in double-page spreads that pull back wide for full view of vehicles and some of the bus’s larger patrons. The animals are a diverse lot, and Willmore has fun with the license granted by the decision to clothe them, painting purple bears and bunnies, a pink hippo, and a blue elephant. The handywoman with her wrench is an extra nice touch, but it’s too bad she doesn’t actually fix that flat.
An amusing riff on an old favorite that’ll please many little ones. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-8075-8869-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: May 27, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2018
Youngsters who meet Frankie will be looking for him on every highway, as he’s a friend they won’t soon forget.
Frankie the semi introduces himself and all the things he can do.
A big rig gets up close and personal in Swenson’s latest, and young vehicle lovers will be enthralled. Frankie pulls no punches in this down-to-earth look at semis. He speaks directly to readers, and his voice is definitely that of a truck. (Those who read this aloud may be thrown off by the rhyme that comes and goes.) Frankie counts his 18 wheels (by twos), shows what he is hauling and invites readers along for the ride. Onomatopoeic words in a large font fill up the spreads as Frankie blasts his horn for readers, tests out his Jake brake, turns on the wipers during a brief storm and suffers a blown tire, all capturing the real-life sounds. Frankie introduces readers to trucking terms and phrases (defined in the “Truck-tionary” in the backmatter) that are sure to tickle young readers’ fancies: alligator, magic mile, back off the hammer, Christmas tree. Throughout, Young’s brightly colored Cars-like illustrations bring Frankie to life, the windshield his eyes, the front bumper his mouth, the rest of the truck body serving to help express his emotions. Frankie’s surroundings are slightly retro, but all is shiny and spiffed, just like the big rig himself.
Youngsters who meet Frankie will be looking for him on every highway, as he’s a friend they won’t soon forget. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4231-6330-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2013
A polished work, from the words to the finish on the race cars.
There’s more than one way to be the big dog in the little bestiary.
Sam is top dog when it comes to zipping his red roadster around the track. “He was number one in speed. / He was number one at turns. // And he was number one at finishing races in the number-one spot.” Like Sam, Geisel winner Pizzoli’s artwork is crackerjack, too, with pure cupcake colors, French curves, blocks of high-octane negative space and personable animal pals. Then comes the day that Sam doesn’t cross the finish line first. Fortunately, Sam proves not to be a poor loser, but his self-confidence sure takes a shellacking. He’s a wreck, figuratively. When the next big race comes up, he even forgets to wish his friend Maggie good luck. After a slow start, Sam takes the lead. “Sam would be number one again!” Whoa! Five yellow, bespectacled chicks are on the racetrack. Sam hits the brakes and gathers up the peepsters as his friends steam by to the finish line. No. 1 takes on a whole new meaning. Pizzoli’s story is a simple class act. Do the right thing—you can’t lose, ever. And most of the time, the right thing is no great philosophical conundrum but as clear as the checkered flag.
A polished work, from the words to the finish on the race cars. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: May 13, 2014
ISBN: 978-142317111-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Feb. 11, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2014
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