This picture book’s sweet message doesn’t entirely mitigate its inconsistency.
How can you tell when helping really isn’t helping at all?
Two raccoons on a hike, one large and one small, have a long way to go until they reach their favorite picnic spot, but Little Raccoon has a propensity for getting sidetracked along the way. Luckily, Little Raccoon has Big Raccoon around to keep him on track. When they come across a snail traveling to the other side of a distant “mountain,” Little Raccoon realizes the mountain is a very close, very little stone. Little Raccoon wants to stay and see the snail achieve its goal, but Big Raccoon doesn’t want to wait. Finding a quick solution, Big Raccoon picks up the snail and moves it to the other side of the stone. This causes a big fight between the raccoons, and each storms off on his own. They calm down separately and come back together to arrive at a better way to help the snail achieve its goal. The translated text in this Dutch and Belgian import feels disjointed and is at times hard to follow. Lia’s illustrations use varying perspectives to amplify the contrasting viewpoints of the main characters and to convey the concept of how one thing can seem to be very different depending on who you are and your own experiences. Double-page spreads using soft greens and browns create an inviting outdoor world, but some readers may find the pandalike rendering of the unusually burly raccoons disorienting. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10.2-by-19.6-inch double-page spreads viewed at 26.3% of actual size.)
This picture book’s sweet message doesn’t entirely mitigate its inconsistency. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: June 15, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-60537-637-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clavis
Review Posted Online: March 30, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2021
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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BOOK REVIEW
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