Friends are better as friends than food.
Wolves are big and, typically, bad, writes Moore. “They just can’t help themselves.” Then there are the atypical wolves.
Protagonist Wolf is trying hard—and failing—to fight the genetic impulse. He wants to be good. That might be pushing it. He wants to have a friend. It’s lonely out there in the woods. But his attempts at winning friends fall flat. Smiling gets him nowhere. He throws a surprise party and, boy, are the guests surprised. He sits on a log, tears welling in his eyes. “What’s the matter?” asks a little girl who smells “of honey and cinnamon.” She has brown skin and straight brown hair, a turquoise coat, yellow boots, head tilted just so—delicious. But the little girl reaches into “her bag of wonders” and gets “to work on Wolf.” Wolf finds that the little girl is fun: she gives him a pedicure, she gives his matted hair a makeover. But she is not about to be Wolf’s carpet. When Wolf reverts to bullying and selfishness, the girl takes a walk. Wolf is alone again, but now he has a dawning of self-awareness. He feels guilt. He finds the little girl in another part of the woods, sheepishly apologizes, and their friendship is rekindled. Moore has caught the strange and rocky road to making friends; her mixed-media artwork dances between fierce and funny, maintaining a deft balance.
Friends are better as friends than food. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-8075-9204-5
Page Count: 37
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: July 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
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
A sweet notion that falls flat.
A hit song reimagined as a book about parental love.
Featured in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn—Part 1, Perri’s “A Thousand Years” deals with the speaker’s fear of romantic love. In picture-book form, it explores a parent’s unwavering love for a child, who grows from an infant into a toddler over the course of the narrative. The caregiver expresses awe when the youngster learns to stand and fear that the child might fall while beginning to walk. “I have spent every day waiting for you,” the parent says. “Darling, don’t be afraid.” What the child might fear isn’t clear from the joyful balloon- and rainbow-filled illustrations. The story borders on cloying, and words that might work when sung and accompanied by music don’t sound fresh on the page: “Time goes by. / You grow ever stronger as you fly.” The refrain, however, is a lovely sentiment: “I have loved you for a thousand years. / I’ll love you for a thousand more.” Perri’s legion of fans may flock to this version, illustrated by Ruiz with sparkling stars, bubbles, and big-eyed toddlers, but it doesn’t hold together as a narrative or an ode, as it’s billed, and it’s a long way from the original song. The child is tan-skinned, the parent is lighter-skinned, and other characters are diverse.
A sweet notion that falls flat. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 1, 2025
ISBN: 9780593622599
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025
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