A gloriously bright, inventive world on wheels.
Meet dozens of marvelous trucks.
“Some people look at the road and just see TRUCKS.” But Trucky Roads, a bearded, brown-skinned, pink-hatted vehicle enthusiast, knows that “there are all KINDS of trucks.” Trucky’s every bit as enthusiastic about the plethora of vehicles gracing these pages as readers will be. Miller puts a clever spin on a well-tread topic. Everyone’s heard of fire trucks…but what about an earth truck (a green truck filled with dirt), a water truck (a blue vehicle with a long hose curling off its side), and a wind truck (a bus with a windmill on top)? And we all know about tow trucks…but what about toe trucks? Seated in a smiling tow truck, Trucky tows a foot-shaped vehicle containing an array of footwear. The whimsical, lightly rhyming text builds to a fever pitch as Miller lists truck after truck: “Monster Trucks AND Tiger Trucks / Pickup Trucks AND Put-Down Trucks / Diggers AND Mixers AND Rollers AND Cranes / Piggers AND Fixers AND / Bowlers AND Sprains.” It’s sure to provoke giggles and have kids chiming in with their own variations. Skipp’s blocky digital art has a collagelike feel, and the tie-dyed palette, paired with the hilariously surreal array of vehicles and Trucky’s own philosophical attitude (“Truck is in the eye of the beholder,” he tells an onlooker), gives the book a playfully psychedelic vibe.
A gloriously bright, inventive world on wheels. (Picture book. 2-6)Pub Date: June 11, 2024
ISBN: 9781665919173
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Paula Wiseman/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: April 20, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2024
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own...
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)Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-544-32041-3
Page Count: 24
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes.
A lift-the-flap book gives the littlest trick-or-treaters some practice identifying partygoers under their costumes.
Little Blue Truck and his buddy Toad are off to a party, and they invite readers (and a black cat) along for the ride: “ ‘Beep! Beep! Beep!’ / says Little Blue. / ‘It’s Halloween!’ / You come, too.” As they drive, they are surprised (and joined) by many of their friends in costume. “Who’s that in a tutu / striking a pose / up on the tiniest / tips of her toes? / Under the mask / who do you see?” Lifting the flap unmasks a friend: “ ‘Quack!’ says the duck. / ‘It’s me! It’s me!’ ” The sheep is disguised as a clown, the cow’s a queen, the pig’s a witch, the hen and her chick are pirates, and the horse is a dragon. Not to be left out, Little Blue has a costume, too. The flaps are large and sturdy, and enough of the animals’ characteristic features are visible under and around the costumes that little ones will be able to make successful guesses even on the first reading. Lovely curvy shapes and autumn colors fade to dusky blues as night falls, and children are sure to notice the traditional elements of a Halloween party: apple bobbing, lit jack-o’-lanterns, and punch and treats.
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-544-77253-3
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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