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PIPER & MABEL

Name: PIPER & MABEL
Author: Melanie Shankle
ISBN: 978-0-310-76086-3

TWO VERY WILD BUT VERY GOOD DOGS

by Melanie Shankle ; illustrated by Laura Watkins ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 25, 2020

Family-friendly dog stories will always find eager audiences, although this kibble’s a bit stale.

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Shankle, best known for her devotional titles for adults, pivots to picture books.

Based on the author’s own dogs, Piper and Mabel are “two very wild but very good dogs” who love each other and their humans. When the family begins discussing a trip to the beach, Piper and Mabel eagerly look forward to joining in the family vacation only to discover that they will not be going to the shore. Piper and Mabel are off to Happy Tails Ranch, whose appealing brochure summons visions of spa-like farm fun for the canine companions, even if going with the family would be their first choice. The actual ranch is underwhelming and even scary for the pooches; the food isn’t great, they are forced to take baths, and there are no facials to be found, so they decide to make a break for it. Though lost for a time, they sniff their way to safety and back to their family, where they wanted to be all along. It’s cute and satisfying, but this ground’s been trod many times before. Watkins’ soft edges and pastel hues lend a cozy yet energetic aesthetic, reassuring readers that even when Piper and Mabel are lost, all will turn out right in the end. Piper and Mabel’s humans appear to be white, though readers never get a good view, as the illustrations focus on the protagonist canines, who are mostly black but whose breed is not readily apparent.

Family-friendly dog stories will always find eager audiences, although this kibble’s a bit stale. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Feb. 25, 2020

ISBN: 978-0-310-76086-3

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Zonderkidz

Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2019

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ACTION & ADVENTURE FICTION | CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

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LITTLE BLUE TRUCK AND RACER RED

From the Little Blue Truck series

by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 25, 2025

A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S TRANSPORTATION

- 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
LITTLE BLUE TRUCK'S VALENTINE
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by John Joseph

PETE THE CAT'S 12 GROOVY DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

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PETE THE CAT'S 12 GROOVY DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

by James Dean ; illustrated by James Dean ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 18, 2018

Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among

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Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.

If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”

Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)