While the overall message is laudable, the book attempts to cover too much territory with too few details to sustain...
The huge topic of human diversity is here given cursory treatment that may raise more questions than it answers.
Using the analogy of a rainbow, human differences including race, physical ability, personality type, culture, family structure, and occupation are portrayed as nothing to be afraid of and less significant than our basic human commonalities. The intended audience for this work is unclear. The text ranges from quite simplistic (“People have different eye colors. They have different hair colors. They have different skin colors”) to fairly complex (“Culture is a word we use to describe the shared attitudes, practices and beliefs of a certain group of people”). Readers may also not grasp that the oblique mention of lifestyle differences may be referring to socio-economic diversity. Some topics are unfortunately treated in a noninclusive way; the detailed description of different kinds of families ignores the very common multigenerational model, and sexual orientation is presented as binary, erasing bisexual and pansexual individuals. Cartoonlike illustrations show people of different skin tones, physical abilities, and ages wearing a variety of types of clothing, including Sikh turbans and Muslim hijab, and often interacting in positive ways.
While the overall message is laudable, the book attempts to cover too much territory with too few details to sustain interest, satisfy the natural curiosity that diversity arouses, or offer support to those who feel marginalized due to their differences. (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 27, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4598-0948-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 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
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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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