It’s hard to sympathize with anyone here. (Picture book. 3-7)
Take a bunny, put it in its second favorite thing—a magic top hat—and you get what is known as a population explosion.
Mole and his friend, the Lumpy-Bumpy Thing (a crocodile), like to label things. Honeysuckle, woodpecker, slimy/snail (two labels)—but they meet their match when they come across something entirely new: a “snow bunny.” As the two start sticking labels on the white bunny—cute, floppy—the bunny takes off. The Lumpy-Bumpy Thing returns with both the bunny and a top hat labeled: “Warning! Do not touch!” When the Lumpy-Bumpy Thing doffs the hat, out pops a bunny—and another, and another. Not just a fluffle emerges, but, as Mole notes when he tries to label each new one, “a big problem.” The bunnies invade Mole’s garden, and a tug of war ensues over a carrot. The carrot goes flying right into the top hat, and the bunny jumps in after. Aha! Mole and pal toss in more carrots, and more bunnies follow. When they have all returned to the hat, Mole and the Lumpy-Bumpy Thing bring it back to wherever such hats come from. Then the crocodile notices something: a magic wand with a label, “Warning! Do not touch!” Once bitten, twice not the least bit shy. Despite Warnes’ moderately enjoyable, Looney Tunes–y artwork, the story is a muddle. Responsibility for meddling with the off-limits hat is never acknowledged, sharing the garden bounty with the fluffle is never considered, learning from mistakes is skated over, squashing and scaring the bunnies is actively pursued. Poor wabbits.
It’s hard to sympathize with anyone here. (Picture book. 3-7) (Picture book3-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-68010-013-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: Jan. 8, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it.
What happens when a robot washes up alone on an island?
“Everything was just right on the island.” Brown beautifully re-creates the first days of Roz, the protagonist of his Wild Robot novels, as she adapts to living in the natural world. A storm-tossed ship, seen in the opening just before the title page, and a packing crate are the only other human-made objects to appear in this close-up look at the robot and her new home. Roz emerges from the crate, and her first thought as she sets off up a grassy hill—”This must be where I belong”—is sweetly glorious, a note of recognition rather than conquest. Roz learns to move, hide, and communicate like the creatures she meets. When she discovers an orphaned egg—and the gosling Brightbill, who eventually hatches—her decision to be his mother seems a natural extension of her adaptation. Once he flies south for the winter, her quiet wait across seasons for his return is a poignant portrayal of separation and change. Brown’s clean, precise lines and deep, light-filled colors offer a sense of what Roz might be seeing, suggesting a place that is alive yet deeply serene and radiant. Though the book stands alone, it adds an immensely appealing dimension to Roz’s world. Round thumbnails offer charming peeks into the island world, depicting Roz’s animal neighbors and Brightbill’s maturation.
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 24, 2025
ISBN: 9780316669467
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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