Wordplay makes for a tongue-twistingly cute read-aloud about friendship, despite a few flaws in execution.
An otter oughta know that she can’t be friends with an alligator—or can she?
From the riverbank, the otter’s animal friends warn her that a gator is close behind. When she disappears under the surface, they fear the worst. But the otter and the gator quickly re-emerge together as friends. The gator playfully launches the otter into the air, leading all the animals to a friendship-themed surprise party. The illustrations charm with clean lines, saturated colors, and touches of texture. The message is sweet—friends come in all forms—though gaps in the storyline leave it feeling like little more than a vehicle for the wordplay. (Why would the otter and the gator stage an alarming ruse to frighten their friends toward a party? Or was the alligator encounter an oddly convenient coincidence?) As the title suggests, the verse is full of tongue-twisting whimsy. Periodic breaks from the rhyme (“Swim, otter!” “Fly, otter!”) provide a welcome rest when reading out loud. Using repetition that may help hold the attention spans of younger listeners, the book frequently returns to variations on key phrases and patterns, though unpredictable shifts in the structure and occasionally awkward meter detract somewhat from the read-aloud experience.
Wordplay makes for a tongue-twistingly cute read-aloud about friendship, despite a few flaws in execution. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: April 2, 2024
ISBN: 9781338863451
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Orchard/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2024
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
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.
A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.
Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
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