An enthusiastic tale that will encourage readers to cultivate imagination and curiosity.
An inquisitive youngster poses questions in this picture book.
Beau, who has bright yellow skin, ponders many things about the world, such as why “rain makes us wet and the sun makes us dry”; what would happen if he got an exotic pet; and “how my shadow knows / Which way I am going to move.” Although eager for answers, he realizes that some matters can’t be resolved immediately, such as how tall he’ll grow. When Beau wonders what happens in the sky, he decides: “Someday I’ll learn how to fly / An airplane or rocket ship…So I can…find out.” After questioning if he’ll ever get the chance to play with the kid he sees in the mirror, Beau urges readers to open their minds: “My brain’s always thinking of new things to do, / I have many questions, and I’m sure you do too.” While the tale doesn’t provide answers to Beau’s queries, his speculations will provoke young readers to explore their own surroundings. Featuring approachable, kid-friendly questions, Sullivan’s engaging story underscores the importance of examining the world. Beau’s queries may prompt enlightening discussions between children and parents, as when he broaches scientific concepts. Featuring cheerful tones and textures, Watson’s whimsical illustrations depict the cartoonish protagonist in various circumstances, such as inspecting nature with a magnifying glass. Some spreads offer vivid details, like question marks in the background and Beau headed to outer space in a rocket.
An enthusiastic tale that will encourage readers to cultivate imagination and curiosity.Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-64921-912-1
Page Count: 34
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own...
The sturdy Little Blue Truck is back for his third adventure, this time delivering Christmas trees to his band of animal pals.
The truck is decked out for the season with a Christmas wreath that suggests a nose between headlights acting as eyeballs. Little Blue loads up with trees at Toad’s Trees, where five trees are marked with numbered tags. These five trees are counted and arithmetically manipulated in various ways throughout the rhyming story as they are dropped off one by one to Little Blue’s friends. The final tree is reserved for the truck’s own use at his garage home, where he is welcomed back by the tree salestoad in a neatly circular fashion. The last tree is already decorated, and Little Blue gets a surprise along with readers, as tiny lights embedded in the illustrations sparkle for a few seconds when the last page is turned. Though it’s a gimmick, it’s a pleasant surprise, and it fits with the retro atmosphere of the snowy country scenes. The short, rhyming text is accented with colored highlights, red for the animal sounds and bright green for the numerical words in the Christmas-tree countdown.
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own tree that will put a twinkle in a toddler’s eyes. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-544-32041-3
Page Count: 24
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
