A book for sharing, learning, and loving—one another and ourselves.
Meet Dimitri, a boy whose love spills over to those around him.
Dimitri, a young, sensitive boy with beige skin and dark hair, loves the world around him—the tree in the park, his friends, his teacher, the book they read at storytime, an old man in the park, the guinea pig, even the paintbrushes. He can’t help but tell everyone and everything how he feels. Sadly, others don’t respond the way he expects, making jokes, moving away from him, even rebuking him. Dejected, Dimitri isn’t sure he likes school anymore and asks his mother if he may stay home. Rather than disagree with him or minimize his anxiety, his mother instead gets him ready for school and, on their walk through the park, points out how people show their feelings to one another in lots of different ways, not just by saying, “I love you.” Dimitri is reassured and ready for a new day at school, where a surprise awaits him. Economical yet descriptive text carries readers through this quiet and heartwarming story that models a journey in social-emotional development. Poignant, childlike illustrations, rendered in primary colors and featuring textured backgrounds, offer young readers plenty of details to pore over (especially a recurring ladybug motif). Moreover, thoughtfully drawn and vigorously diverse characters—children and adults—fill each bright spread with everyday diversity and clearly model care for one another through their interactions.
A book for sharing, learning, and loving—one another and ourselves. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Jan. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5362-1123-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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