Younger readers will relish the merriment; older readers may find deeper meaning.
Delessert’s signature surreal style is an apt accompaniment to a story inspired by Edward Lear.
Perched atop a 1,000-year-old beech tree is a lonely bear. More fantastical than realistic, this bear sports the titular “fuzzy, furry hat” bedecked with ribbons and bells. When the bear gives the hat a shake, the jingling attracts cardinals, who land on its head and enjoy the “fuzzy grass.” Soon a wild assortment of animals follows, from tiny, airborn alligators and elephants to sizable butterflies and flying fish, and they begin to make more music and build homes on the hat. This whimsical and vibrantly illustrated scenario derives from Edward Lear’s nonsense poem “The Quangle Wangle’s Hat,” in which an imaginary creature rests atop a funny tree and draws an equally outrageous mix of animals with the music of its hat. Here Delessert departs from the original and adds to the story as a few giant raindrops turn into a deluge that lasts for months. During the rain, the animals make the best of their situation, hunkering down together and shielding one another as they can. Up high and safe in the hat, they rejoice with music once again when the sun returns. Readers of Delessert’s previous picture books will recognize many familiar creatures as well as some that are named in Lear’s poem.
Younger readers will relish the merriment; older readers may find deeper meaning. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-56846-296-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Creative Editions/Creative Company
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 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
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.
The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 21, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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