A snack-time (and storytime) treat.
Peanut-butter–and-jelly’s a great snack for a pig and a duck…until nine unwanted guests show up.
One hungry pig and its sidekick duckling have made their PB&J when along comes a second pig, bearing pickles. That can’t go on a PB&J! “ ‘I like lots of peas,’ cries pig number three. / On this sandwich? Are you kidding me?” A fourth brings fruit piled up on her hat, Carmen Miranda–style. (She’s the only pig with eyelashes, and she wears a pink dress, in a lazy, stereotyped depiction.) The fifth brings fish, the sixth brings bees (trailing its honey jar), and the seventh, some rhyming macaroni and cheese. Pigs eight through 10 pile on pancakes, gravy, and ice cream with sprinkles, respectively. No pig is going to think a sandwich like that sounds good to eat, but “Pig Eleven likes what he sees. / ‘It looks delicious to me!’ ” But wait…there are only 10 pigs. It’s a wolf! The pigs scatter, leaving that delicious PB&J to be enjoyed by the first pig and the duckling (once the duckling gets out of the wolf costume). Anderson concocts a droll and daffy counting tale in serviceable rhyme. Arabic numerals are absent, and the text is set in El Grande, an all-uppercase typeface, making this less a book to teach numeracy than a silly tale for storytime. The digital illustrations are in Anderson’s signature style and will be familiar to fans of his work in the Hot Rod Hamster series.
A snack-time (and storytime) treat. (Picture book. 2-6)Pub Date: May 10, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-545-16848-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Orchard/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2016
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
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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
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