This cheerful, easy-to-understand story offers a satisfying lesson for families who want to convey the Christian meaning of...
Little Bunny celebrates with his animal friends at a Christmas party celebrating the birth of Jesus.
When the young rabbit receives an invitation to a Christmas party, his mother explains that Christmas is Jesus’ birthday. Little Bunny dreams of the presents he likes to receive for his own birthday, such as toys and sweets, and wonders what present he can take to the party as a gift for Jesus. The bunny finds his friends decorating a tree outside and placing wrapped presents under it with tags listing qualities and goals such as kindness, faith, and peace. Little Bunny makes his own package with a tag specifying “Love,” and his mother explains more about the connections between Jesus, Christmas, and the concept of love as “the greatest gift anyone can give on Christmas.” The simple story is told in just a few words, introducing some basic concepts of Christianity in terms accessible to young children. Charming, soft-focus illustrations create a cheery personality for the little rabbit and wintry settings of snow-covered trees and darkening night skies. The final scene shows the group of animal friends gathered together at night, with a glowing star in the sky also serving as the star for the Christmas tree.
This cheerful, easy-to-understand story offers a satisfying lesson for families who want to convey the Christian meaning of the Christmas holiday. (Picture book/religion. 2-6)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-6809-9319-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 20, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2017
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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