An empathetic tale, ideal for helping little ones ride out the storm of turbulent emotions.
Big life changes bring unexpected emotions.
After the protagonist’s best friend, Ana, moves away, the child experiences a whirlwind of feelings. The days seem to stretch on forever, and school feels different. Quietly, the crocodiles arrive. The brown one is loud, leaving overturned toys and household objects in the wake of her tantrums; the gray one’s sobbing fits keep the youngster from reading. Only the child can see them, and though the protagonist attempts to ignore them, they continue to intrude. Finally, on a family vacation, the youngster confronts both crocodiles: The child hugs the gray one (Sadness) and cries with her, then screams with the brown one (Anger) until their rage subsides. Having achieved catharsis, the young narrator feels much better and looks forward to spending a day with Ana in the future. Meza’s straightforward, compassionate text is firmly rooted in children’s natural—at times seemingly irrational—emotions. Created with paper, colored pencil, and Photoshop, her naïve, earth-toned illustrations make use of geometric shapes, complementing the story well. Sharp-eyed readers will spot Sadness and Anger lurking in the background of numerous spreads early on—underscoring the idea that complex feelings are always with us, even if we aren’t consciously aware of them. The protagonist is tan-skinned; other characters vary in skin tone.
An empathetic tale, ideal for helping little ones ride out the storm of turbulent emotions. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780593859148
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Rocky Pond Books/Penguin
Review Posted Online: June 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
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
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Quirky, familiar fun for series devotees.
After Duncan finds his crayons gone—yet again—letters arrive, detailing their adventures in friendship.
Eleven crayons send missives from their chosen spots throughout Duncan’s home (and one from his classroom). Red enjoys the thrill of extinguishing “pretend fires” with Duncan’s toy firetruck. White, so often dismissed as invisible, finds a new calling subbing in for the missing queen on the black-and-white chessboard. “Now everyone ALWAYS SEES ME!…(Well, half the time!)” Pink’s living the dream as a pastry chef helming the Breezy Bake Oven, “baking everything from little cupcakes…to…OTHER little cupcakes!” Teal, who’s hitched a ride to school in Duncan’s backpack, meets the crayons in the boy’s desk and writes, “Guess what? I HAVE A TWIN! How come you never told me?” Duncan wants to see his crayons and “meet their new friends.” A culminating dinner party assembles the crayons and their many guests: a table tennis ball, dog biscuits, a well-loved teddy bear, and more. The premise—personified crayons, away and back again—is well-trammeled territory by now, after over a dozen books and spinoffs, and Jeffers once more delivers his signature cartooning and hand-lettering. Though the pages lack the laugh-out-loud sight gags and side-splittingly funny asides of previous outings, readers—especially fans of the crayons’ previous outings—will enjoy checking in on their pals.
Quirky, familiar fun for series devotees. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 3, 2025
ISBN: 9780593622360
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: March 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2025
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