Not really, really, really a must-have for the potty bookshelf.
Clayton Parker really, really, really should’ve tried to pee before getting on the bus for a field trip.
Rhyming text with a sometimes-stumbling singsong cadence recounts how the protagonist, a boy of color, didn’t think he had to pee when he boarded the school bus to go to the zoo. By the time he arrives there with his class, however, he’s desperate. A brief interlude with Dr. Bladder explains: “See, when you drink some juice, let’s say, once it has left your mouth, / it goes down your esophagus and keeps on heading SOUTH. / It passes through your STOMACH and your KIDNEYS and then soon, / it fills your BLADDER up with urine, just like a balloon.” Clayton frantically scrambles around the zoo, encountering various animals and facing myriad obstacles before he finally finds an open restroom where he can relieve himself. There are some humorous moments that the amiable cartoon art attempts to exploit, but the climax veers to an older readership than the preschool/early-elementary crew in its use of simile: “He stepped into the stall and then let nature take its course. / (I’ve heard his flow was like that of a massive Clydesdale horse!).” The moral of the story—that one should try to use the bathroom before going on a trip—is reinforced just in case kids don’t get it. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Not really, really, really a must-have for the potty bookshelf. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 10, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-4197-4863-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
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
Serve this superbly designed title to all who relish slightly scary stories.
Kids know vegetables can be scary, but rarely are edible roots out to get someone. In this whimsical mock-horror tale, carrots nearly frighten the whiskers off Jasper Rabbit, an interloper at Crackenhopper Field.
Jasper loves carrots, especially those “free for the taking.” He pulls some in the morning, yanks out a few in the afternoon, and comes again at night to rip out more. Reynolds builds delicious suspense with succinct language that allows understatements to be fully exploited in Brown’s hilarious illustrations. The cartoon pictures, executed in pencil and then digitally colored, are in various shades of gray and serve as a perfectly gloomy backdrop for the vegetables’ eerie orange on each page. “Jasper couldn’t get enough carrots … / … until they started following him.” The plot intensifies as Jasper not only begins to hear the veggies nearby, but also begins to see them everywhere. Initially, young readers will wonder if this is all a product of Jasper’s imagination. Was it a few snarling carrots or just some bathing items peeking out from behind the shower curtain? The ending truly satisfies both readers and the book’s characters alike. And a lesson on greed goes down like honey instead of a forkful of spinach.
Serve this superbly designed title to all who relish slightly scary stories. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 21, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0297-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 1, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
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