Quiet and peaceful—an antidote to the daytime hustle and bustle of city life.
To anyone who imagines a barn is tranquil at night: Guess again.
This sweet story describes in gentle detail, especially for those unfamiliar with farm life, what really goes on in a barn during seemingly peaceful nighttime hours. A young farm child narrates in calming, lilting tercets, informing readers about the important chores that must be accomplished, predawn, even in the coldest weather, to ensure that all the animals are fed and well and lovingly cared for. It’s routine stuff that conscientious farmers must tend to every evening, but sometimes there are wonderful surprises: the birth of a new foal, for instance, who, upon arising on spindly, wobbly legs, helps the humans and fellow barn residents welcome a new day. City kids will pick up facts about what some barnyard animals eat and what a barn smells like. Adding to the cuteness factor, note that cats play a prominent role in a number of the soft, gentle, hazy color illustrations, set mostly inside the shadowy barn; sometimes, the felines seem to supervise the farm family’s activities. The narrator and adult farmer are painted with ruddy skin and straight hair (when it can be seen). (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Quiet and peaceful—an antidote to the daytime hustle and bustle of city life. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 14, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-948898-05-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Feeding Minds Press
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
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
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BOOK REVIEW
Hee haw.
The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018
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BOOK REVIEW
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