A warm Christmas read and a reminder of the best gifts: friendship, kindness, helpfulness, and cooperation.
The little truck that helped.
Even during a snowfall, Little Red Truck and driver Katie work and make repairs. One after another, six brightly colored vehicles in need stop them, imploring, “Help, Little Red, help!” Observant readers will note each entreaty is enclosed within a speech bubble whose color matches that of the vehicle and its driver’s clothing (except for a silver sleigh steered by a red-suited fellow), helping younger kids hone their color-recognition skills. Additionally, aurally attuned readers may note that, after each seen-to vehicle leaves, the text adds the word down to a key sentence. Thus, after the first vehicle departs, the text reads, “The snow came down”; following the second repair, it reads, “The snow came down and down,” and so on. This correlation heightens children’s number and pattern awareness. Little Red also punctuates each farewell with his onomatopoeic “Honk, honk! Beep, beep!” exclamation. This is a cheery, albeit low-key Christmas story; some visual cues—Santa and a tree borne by Little Red—nod to the holiday. Readers will appreciate the 90-degree book turn required near the end showing the raised tree festooned with bulbs by eager kids. A final scene portrays it encircled by the vehicles; together, they cry out a rainbow-hued “HOORAY!” Katie is pale-skinned; background characters are racially diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A warm Christmas read and a reminder of the best gifts: friendship, kindness, helpfulness, and cooperation. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 10, 2023
ISBN: 9780316333627
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A syrupy tribute to mothers that may please fans of the series.
Another creature is on the loose.
The long-running series continues its successful formula with this Hallmark card of a book, which features bright illustrations and catchy rhymes. This time, the mythical creature the racially diverse children set out to catch is an absent mom who does it all (lists of descriptors include the words banker, caregiver, nurse, doctor, driver, chef, housekeeper, teacher, entertainer, playmate, laundry service, problem solver, handywoman, cleaner, and alarm clock) but doesn’t seem to have a job outside the home and is inexplicably a dinosaur. As the children prepare gifts and a meal for her, the text becomes an ode to the skills the Mamasaurus possesses (“Day or night she’s always there. / She meets every wish and need”) and values she instills (“Sometimes life can mean hard work,” “kindness matters,” and “what counts is doing your best”). This well-intentioned selection veers into cliche generously sprinkled with saccharine but manages to redeem itself with its appreciation for mothers and all that they may do. Endpapers include a “to” and “from” page framed in a heart, as well as a page where young gift givers or recipients can draw a picture of their Mamasaurus.
A syrupy tribute to mothers that may please fans of the series. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 5, 2024
ISBN: 9781728274300
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2024
A sweet reminder that it’s easy to weather a storm with the company and kindness of friends.
Is it a stormy-night scare or a bedtime book? Both!
Little Blue Truck and his good friend Toad are heading home when a storm lets loose. Before long, their familiar, now very nervous barnyard friends (Goat, Hen, Goose, Cow, Duck, and Pig) squeeze into the garage. Blue explains that “clouds bump and tumble in the sky, / but here inside we’re warm and dry, / and all the thirsty plants below / will get a drink to help them grow!” The friends begin to relax. “Duck said, loud as he could quack it, / ‘THUNDER’S JUST A NOISY RACKET!’ ” In the quiet after the storm, the barnyard friends are sleepy, but the garage is not their home. “ ‘Beep!’ said Blue. ‘Just hop inside. / All aboard for the bedtime ride!’ ” Young readers will settle down for their own bedtimes as Blue and Toad drop each friend at home and bid them a good night before returning to the garage and their own beds. “Blue gave one small sleepy ‘Beep.’ / Then Little Blue Truck fell fast asleep.” Joseph’s rich nighttime-blue illustrations (done “in the style of [series co-creator] Jill McElmurry”) highlight the power of the storm and capture the still serenity that follows. Little Blue Truck has been chugging along since 2008, but there seems to be plenty of gas left in the tank.
A sweet reminder that it’s easy to weather a storm with the company and kindness of friends. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 22, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-328-85213-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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