The beginning of a beautiful gastropod friendship; similar to watching the protagonists in action in real life.
A snail with a Tardis-like shell proves that her heart is just as big.
Snail and Slug are wilting in the summery heat near a small stream. After Slug bemoans her lack of a shell (or even a pocket!), Snail invites her inside for a cold drink. “Oh, don’t worry, my house is bigger than it looks.” This proves to be an understatement, as Snail has a full kitchen (with a dishwasher), living room, two bedrooms, a library, a cellar, and an attic. During this tour, Slug and Snail get better acquainted: both lost their spouses to predators; Snail is a good reader; Slug is a good cook and likes to make up songs. And on a picnic together, Slug proves her resourcefulness and friendship. In the end, as readers will already have predicted, Snail offers to share her home with Slug. Cazet’s mixed-media illustrations in a pastel palette portray the quiet domesticity of Snail’s life and abode. The two friends look similar, Snail blue and slightly larger and with longer antennae than pink Slug. Four Eyes the bully banana slug may have readers combing their gardens, but Four Eyes’ obvious agony under Slug’s salt treatment may turn them off that time-honored pest-control method.
The beginning of a beautiful gastropod friendship; similar to watching the protagonists in action in real life. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: May 3, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-4506-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Richard Jackson/Atheneum
Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2016
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
A sweet notion that falls flat.
A hit song reimagined as a book about parental love.
Featured in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn—Part 1, Perri’s “A Thousand Years” deals with the speaker’s fear of romantic love. In picture-book form, it explores a parent’s unwavering love for a child, who grows from an infant into a toddler over the course of the narrative. The caregiver expresses awe when the youngster learns to stand and fear that the child might fall while beginning to walk. “I have spent every day waiting for you,” the parent says. “Darling, don’t be afraid.” What the child might fear isn’t clear from the joyful balloon- and rainbow-filled illustrations. The story borders on cloying, and words that might work when sung and accompanied by music don’t sound fresh on the page: “Time goes by. / You grow ever stronger as you fly.” The refrain, however, is a lovely sentiment: “I have loved you for a thousand years. / I’ll love you for a thousand more.” Perri’s legion of fans may flock to this version, illustrated by Ruiz with sparkling stars, bubbles, and big-eyed toddlers, but it doesn’t hold together as a narrative or an ode, as it’s billed, and it’s a long way from the original song. The child is tan-skinned, the parent is lighter-skinned, and other characters are diverse.
A sweet notion that falls flat. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 1, 2025
ISBN: 9780593622599
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025
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