A soothing and appealing read-aloud, this lovely look under the sea may spark scientific curiosity in listeners.
A gray whale and her calf migrate from south to north in this British import.
As in Weaver’s debut, Little One (2016), luminous charcoal illustrations reveal and enhance a loving relationship between an animal mother and (non–gender-specific) child. Double-page spreads in varying shades of blue show the mother and calf swimming past coral reefs, over waving fronds of seaweed, through schools of fish, under a starry sky, and on and on through the vast sea on their journey home. The monochromatic pages sparkle with sunlight, evoke the watery sway of plant life, and capture the vastness of the open ocean as appropriate. A pod of orcas provides a frisson of danger, the calf’s exhaustion a modicum of suspense, but overall the mood is serene. Imagined exchanges between Gray Whale and Little Whale will sound comfortingly familiar to both young listeners and adult readers. When the child/calf asks, “Are we nearly there?” the mother responds, “Not yet,” and offers encouragement to continue swimming. While the dialogue obviously anthropomorphizes the characters somewhat, the pictures provide a generally realistic view of the animals and their habitat. The straightforward text, which tracks their progress and describes the natural world through which they travel, likewise emphasizes the fact-based nature of the tale.
A soothing and appealing read-aloud, this lovely look under the sea may spark scientific curiosity in listeners. (author’s note) (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68263-049-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
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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