An eye-catching palette and charming characters will draw readers in from the very first page.
As it turns out, beauty is in the ear of the beholder.
Blue Baboon wanders into a park and spots a musical combo playing. She sees a bassoon on its stand, scoops it up, and starts playing along. Sadly, she is not a natural, and an elephant, one of the musicians, takes the instrument away from her. After a storm puts an end to the music, Blue Baboon spies a sign for nighttime hot air balloon rides and takes off in one; as she does, the elephant hands (trunks?) the bassoon to her, and eventually she finds a new place to play her music—and a friend, Green Baboon, who appreciates her unusual sound. Though the rhyming text is spare, with just a few words per page (“Big monsoon, wet baboon”), there are many details in the vibrant illustrations (the facial expressions of all the characters, including the moon, the ducks who follow along), all contributing to the depth of the story. Even the music feels vivid, shown in floating, gentle bubbles from the combo in contrast to the boldly colored lightning bolts that emanate when Blue Baboon and Green Baboon play. Children will enjoy pointing out the pink balloon with a white heart that appears in every spread. The characters are endearing, and the final two-page spread is a visual delight, with everyone floating through the sky in dazzling hot air balloons. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
An eye-catching palette and charming characters will draw readers in from the very first page. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-72823-890-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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