A chuckle-worthy reminder that kids needn’t feel sheepish for showing their vulnerable sides.
Laughter isn’t always the best medicine.
Babette the sheep’s always giggling and acting silly. She enjoys making others laugh, too, so her pals call her Baa Haa. Babette doesn’t just chuckle when she hears something funny; she laughs when she’s surprised, excited, glad, nervous, or scared—even when she’s in trouble. Unfortunately, masking her discomfort with laughter is giving her a stomachache. She ignores her pain and tries different ploys to feel better. Nothing works. When her pals ask if she’s OK, Babette puts on a brave front but quickly breaks down. With friendly support, Babette’s knot unravels, and she giggles, confessing she’d felt “sheepish” for always concealing her emotions. She’s assured that, among friends, she needn’t pretend: “All feelings are welcome.” Thereafter, Babette always displays her feelings; so do her pals. “Because that’s what true friends do.” This tale should reassure children, though most kids probably won’t need reminders to display emotions; they’re usually transparent about their feelings. Still, youngsters who are reluctant to open up might feel less constrained after reading Babette’s story—and everyone will appreciate the laughter. Adults will have to explain the numerous puns, some based on sheep bleats, such as “baah-bles,” “baah-utiful,” and “Maah-nicures.” The humorous scribbly, cartoony illustrations, starring a googly-eyed all-animal cast, feature onomatopoeic sound effects representing laughter and are set in colored type.
A chuckle-worthy reminder that kids needn’t feel sheepish for showing their vulnerable sides. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 4, 2025
ISBN: 9781546134039
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2025
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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