A festive but underdeveloped holiday tale for pet-loving youngsters.
Left alone on Christmas Eve, a dog tries to make his own fun in Vanous’ picture book.
In the McConniel home, everyone is eagerly preparing to visit Grandma Helen for Christmas. Asher, the family dog, is excited for Mom’s gingerbread cookies and wants to be there for young Karen Sue as she reads aloud to the family for the first time. However, when it’s time to head out to Grandma’s, the family leaves Asher behind. Despondent at spending Christmas Eve alone, he explores his neighborhood in the hope of finding company. Squirrels mock him, cats scratch him, and chickens scare him away, and Asher concludes, “All I really want for Christmas is to be with my family.” He goes in search of Grandma’s house, but he gets lost after hours of walking. Vanous’ debut picture book features classic hallmarks of Christmas stories, including a vintage 1950s American aesthetic embodied by Bayramoglu’s full-color cartoon illustrations, as well as a surprise rescuer who takes Asher back home before the family even realizes that the dog had gone on a journey. However, the narrative fails to deliver an effectively poignant message amid its tales of adventure. The images are also uneven, as the repetitive backgrounds often lack detail.
A festive but underdeveloped holiday tale for pet-loving youngsters.Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9798990258600
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: June 19, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
Perfect for those looking for a scary Halloween tale that won’t leave them with more fears than they started with. Pair with...
Reynolds and Brown have crafted a Halloween tale that balances a really spooky premise with the hilarity that accompanies any mention of underwear.
Jasper Rabbit needs new underwear. Plain White satisfies him until he spies them: “Creepy underwear! So creepy! So comfy! They were glorious.” The underwear of his dreams is a pair of radioactive-green briefs with a Frankenstein face on the front, the green color standing out all the more due to Brown’s choice to do the entire book in grayscale save for the underwear’s glowing green…and glow they do, as Jasper soon discovers. Despite his “I’m a big rabbit” assertion, that glow creeps him out, so he stuffs them in the hamper and dons Plain White. In the morning, though, he’s wearing green! He goes to increasing lengths to get rid of the glowing menace, but they don’t stay gone. It’s only when Jasper finally admits to himself that maybe he’s not such a big rabbit after all that he thinks of a clever solution to his fear of the dark. Brown’s illustrations keep the backgrounds and details simple so readers focus on Jasper’s every emotion, writ large on his expressive face. And careful observers will note that the underwear’s expression also changes, adding a bit more creep to the tale.
Perfect for those looking for a scary Halloween tale that won’t leave them with more fears than they started with. Pair with Dr. Seuss’ tale of animate, empty pants. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Aug. 22, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0298-0
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
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