A pleasant bedtime tale and effortless read-aloud with a cuddly, quiet end.
It’s bedtime on the farm, but no one seems to want to sleep in the proper place.
“Snuggled in. / Snuggled down. / Bedtime on the farm.” Pig heads over to his sty. “But when he plopped down— / Moooo! / Who do you think he found?” Pig squeals at cow to get up and “Go sleep in your own bed!” Cow makes her sleepy way to her stall, but when she snuggles down…she sits on Hen! So Cow tells Hen to go sleep in her own bed. Hen sends Horse packing; Horse sends Sheep to her pen; Sheep sends Dog to his kennel; Dog chases Cat away. “ ‘Oh, drat,’ mewed Cat. / And she tiptoed to her spot, pittery-pat.” But when Cat settles down, she hears something very different: “Oh, there you are! Come sleep in my bed!” And the white child readers met at the beginning of the book and Cat snuggle down in the cozy, quilt-covered bed. Fleming pens a bedtime roundabout full of animal noises, quaintly rustic expostulations (“Oh, hayseeds”), crunchy verbs, and rhythmic nonsense suggesting onomatopoeic movement. Cow lows and tromps; Horse whickers and shambles. The patterned text will have children joining in with gusto. Nichols’ digitally colored acrylic illustrations in hues of blue and gray nicely suggest a sleepy, twilit farm.
A pleasant bedtime tale and effortless read-aloud with a cuddly, quiet end. (Picture book. 2-6)Pub Date: May 2, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-375-86648-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Jan. 31, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2017
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes.
A lift-the-flap book gives the littlest trick-or-treaters some practice identifying partygoers under their costumes.
Little Blue Truck and his buddy Toad are off to a party, and they invite readers (and a black cat) along for the ride: “ ‘Beep! Beep! Beep!’ / says Little Blue. / ‘It’s Halloween!’ / You come, too.” As they drive, they are surprised (and joined) by many of their friends in costume. “Who’s that in a tutu / striking a pose / up on the tiniest / tips of her toes? / Under the mask / who do you see?” Lifting the flap unmasks a friend: “ ‘Quack!’ says the duck. / ‘It’s me! It’s me!’ ” The sheep is disguised as a clown, the cow’s a queen, the pig’s a witch, the hen and her chick are pirates, and the horse is a dragon. Not to be left out, Little Blue has a costume, too. The flaps are large and sturdy, and enough of the animals’ characteristic features are visible under and around the costumes that little ones will be able to make successful guesses even on the first reading. Lovely curvy shapes and autumn colors fade to dusky blues as night falls, and children are sure to notice the traditional elements of a Halloween party: apple bobbing, lit jack-o’-lanterns, and punch and treats.
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-544-77253-3
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Yes, the Pigeon has to go to school, and so do readers, and this book will surely ease the way.
All the typical worries and excuses kids have about school are filtered through Willems’ hysterical, bus-loving Pigeon.
Told mostly in speech balloons, the bird’s monologue will have kids (and their caregivers) in stitches at Pigeon’s excuses. From already knowing everything (except whatever question readers choose to provide in response to “Go ahead—ask me a question. / Any question!”) to fearing learning too much (“My head might pop off”), Pigeon’s imagination has run wild. Readers familiar with Pigeon will recognize the muted, matte backgrounds that show off the bird’s shenanigans so well. As in previous outings, Willems varies the size of the pigeon on the page to help communicate emotion, the bird teeny small on the double-page spread that illustrates the confession that “I’m… / scared.” And Pigeon’s eight-box rant about all the perils of school (“The unknown stresses me out, dude”) is marvelously followed by the realization (complete with lightbulb thought bubble) that school is the place for students to practice, with experts, all those skills they don’t yet have. But it is the ending that is so Willems, so Pigeon, and so perfect. Pigeon’s last question is “Well, HOW am I supposed to get there, anyway!?!” Readers will readily guess both the answer and Pigeon’s reaction.
Yes, the Pigeon has to go to school, and so do readers, and this book will surely ease the way. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 2, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-368-04645-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019
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