A feel-good read about a friendship that feels real, indeed.
Two friends feel and then heal a rift.
Benny, who presents as White, and Max, who presents as Black, are best friends. Opening scenes show them playing together at Benny’s house. Max seems to enjoy himself, but Benny grows increasingly annoyed by the lack of control he feels he has in their play. Finally, Benny grabs a gaming controller from Max because “Max [is taking] forever to play.” Max doesn’t take kindly to this act, nor to being told to go home. He leaves in a huff, declaring Benny is no longer his best friend. “Good! I’ll find a new best friend!” Benny replies. This “finding” involves making a new best friend named Jax, in a literal sense: Benny gathers boxes and other “odds and ends” and builds a robot who accompanies him in all the activities he once did with Max. Things work out fine until Benny realizes it’s boring to play with someone who never responds or does more than just sit there. In other words, he misses Max. On the penultimate spread, Benny puts Jax into his wagon and goes to Max’s house. His friend welcomes them and introduces his new robot friend, Lenny. All is forgiven, and the boys and their robots play together at book’s end. Cartoon illustrations largely reflect the text, the two boys’ expressions easy to read on their perfectly round faces. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10.2-by-19.6-inch double-page spreads viewed at 15.8% of actual size.)
A feel-good read about a friendship that feels real, indeed. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Nov. 10, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-60537-582-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clavis
Review Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2020
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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BOOK REVIEW
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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