A delightful tale of fostering connection through art.
A young Korean immigrant makes a new friend while reflecting on an old pal.
Jihun tentatively enters the classroom. “Today is the day I’ll make friends,” the young narrator says. “At least, that’s what I promise myself.” But Jihun’s resolve is shaken when Ms. Alpha explains today’s assignment: “Write a letter to your best friend.” While the other students boast about their many friends, Jihun, who arrived in America just a month ago and has no friends, simply stares at the blank paper. With a gentle push from Ms. Alpha, the protagonist writes the letter O, then reflects on Oto, a gray-and-white cat whom Jihun left behind in Korea. Taking an artistic route, Jihun draws a portrait of Oto using letters: “I write E on its side, like his front legs.” “I swirl an S backward twice, like his tail.” The assignment elicits memories both happy (the two playing together) and sad: Oto’s swishing tail when Jihun waved goodbye to him. Jihun’s classmate Piper notices the portrait and initially warns Jihun to “stop doodling and write.” But eventually Jihun’s artistry intrigues Piper…and leads to a new friendship. Choi’s meditative prose pulses with quiet joys, while the use of softly blended colors brings warmth and charm to the simple cartoons and textured backdrops. Ms. Alpha is brown-skinned, Piper is light-skinned, and the class is diverse.
A delightful tale of fostering connection through art. (author’s note) (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: July 9, 2024
ISBN: 9780374391294
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2024
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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Quirky, familiar fun for series devotees.
After Duncan finds his crayons gone—yet again—letters arrive, detailing their adventures in friendship.
Eleven crayons send missives from their chosen spots throughout Duncan’s home (and one from his classroom). Red enjoys the thrill of extinguishing “pretend fires” with Duncan’s toy firetruck. White, so often dismissed as invisible, finds a new calling subbing in for the missing queen on the black-and-white chessboard. “Now everyone ALWAYS SEES ME!…(Well, half the time!)” Pink’s living the dream as a pastry chef helming the Breezy Bake Oven, “baking everything from little cupcakes…to…OTHER little cupcakes!” Teal, who’s hitched a ride to school in Duncan’s backpack, meets the crayons in the boy’s desk and writes, “Guess what? I HAVE A TWIN! How come you never told me?” Duncan wants to see his crayons and “meet their new friends.” A culminating dinner party assembles the crayons and their many guests: a table tennis ball, dog biscuits, a well-loved teddy bear, and more. The premise—personified crayons, away and back again—is well-trammeled territory by now, after over a dozen books and spinoffs, and Jeffers once more delivers his signature cartooning and hand-lettering. Though the pages lack the laugh-out-loud sight gags and side-splittingly funny asides of previous outings, readers—especially fans of the crayons’ previous outings—will enjoy checking in on their pals.
Quirky, familiar fun for series devotees. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 3, 2025
ISBN: 9780593622360
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: March 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2025
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