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DON'T SQUISH THE SASQUATCH!

Name: DON'T SQUISH THE SASQUATCH!
Author: Kent Redeker
ISBN: 978-1-4231-5232-3

by Kent Redeker & illustrated by Bob Staake ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 19, 2012

Pure, disarming horseplay served on a bed of charismatic artwork.

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Mr. Sasquatch tempts fate—a good squishing—when he boards Mr. Blobule’s city bus.

“Hello, Mr. Blobule! May I please ride your bus?” asks Mr. Sasquatch to open this gladdening bit of tomfoolery from Redeker. Traveling through a city where French curves meet plane geometry in a style as idiosyncratic as Art Deco and all Staake’s own, others ask to ride the bus. There are Miss Goat-Whale, Mr. Octo-Rhino, Miss Loch-Ness-Monster-Space-Alien, all in a roundelay of " ‘May I please ride your bus?’ / ‘Of course you may ride my bus…. But please… // Don’t squish the Sasquatch!’ " Who, of course, gets more squished with each new rider, his eyes rotating, his hat boinging off, his arms flailing, until—“KA-BLOOEY!!” This work will not be denied engagement, whether children join the circle dance of words, with their simple, sunny musicality, or pore closely over the fanciful city the bus passes through. Mr. Sasquatch’s final delamination takes place in a fine, eruptive double-gatefold, which inspires a group hug, which triggers Mr. Sasquatch’s claustrophobia switch again.

Pure, disarming horseplay served on a bed of charismatic artwork. (Picture book. 1-5)

Pub Date: June 19, 2012

ISBN: 978-1-4231-5232-3

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Review Posted Online: March 27, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2012

Categories:

CHILDREN'S TRANSPORTATION

- BOOK REVIEW
DON'T SPLASH THE SASQUATCH!
by Kent Redeker ; illustrated by Bob Staake

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LITTLE BLUE TRUCK'S VALENTINE

by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by John Joseph ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 8, 2020

Little Blue Truck keeps on truckin’—but not without some backfires.

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Little Blue Truck feels, well, blue when he delivers valentine after valentine but receives nary a one.

His bed overflowing with cards, Blue sets out to deliver a yellow card with purple polka dots and a shiny purple heart to Hen, one with a shiny fuchsia heart to Pig, a big, shiny, red heart-shaped card to Horse, and so on. With each delivery there is an exchange of Beeps from Blue and the appropriate animal sounds from his friends, Blue’s Beeps always set in blue and the animal’s vocalization in a color that matches the card it receives. But as Blue heads home, his deliveries complete, his headlight eyes are sad and his front bumper droops ever so slightly. Blue is therefore surprised (but readers may not be) when he pulls into his garage to be greeted by all his friends with a shiny blue valentine just for him. In this, Blue’s seventh outing, it’s not just the sturdy protagonist that seems to be wilting. Schertle’s verse, usually reliable, stumbles more than once; stanzas such as “But Valentine’s Day / didn’t seem much fun / when he didn’t get cards / from anyone” will cause hitches during read-alouds. The illustrations, done by Joseph in the style of original series collaborator Jill McElmurry, are pleasant enough, but his compositions often feel stiff and forced.

Little Blue Truck keeps on truckin’—but not without some backfires. (Board book. 1-4)

Pub Date: Dec. 8, 2020

ISBN: 978-0-358-27244-1

Page Count: 20

Publisher: HMH Books

Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS | CHILDREN'S TRANSPORTATION | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE BLUE TRUCK MAKES A FRIEND
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry

- BOOK REVIEW
TIME FOR SCHOOL, LITTLE BLUE TRUCK
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by John Joseph

- BOOK REVIEW
GOOD NIGHT, LITTLE BLUE TRUCK
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by John Joseph

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LITTLE BLUE TRUCK'S CHRISTMAS

by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 23, 2014

Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own...

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The sturdy Little Blue Truck is back for his third adventure, this time delivering Christmas trees to his band of animal pals.

The truck is decked out for the season with a Christmas wreath that suggests a nose between headlights acting as eyeballs. Little Blue loads up with trees at Toad’s Trees, where five trees are marked with numbered tags. These five trees are counted and arithmetically manipulated in various ways throughout the rhyming story as they are dropped off one by one to Little Blue’s friends. The final tree is reserved for the truck’s own use at his garage home, where he is welcomed back by the tree salestoad in a neatly circular fashion. The last tree is already decorated, and Little Blue gets a surprise along with readers, as tiny lights embedded in the illustrations sparkle for a few seconds when the last page is turned. Though it’s a gimmick, it’s a pleasant surprise, and it fits with the retro atmosphere of the snowy country scenes. The short, rhyming text is accented with colored highlights, red for the animal sounds and bright green for the numerical words in the Christmas-tree countdown.

Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own tree that will put a twinkle in a toddler’s eyes. (Picture book. 2-5)