bookshelf

HOW TO WALK A DUMP TRUCK

Name: HOW TO WALK A DUMP TRUCK
Author: Peter Pearson
ISBN: 978-0-06-232063-6

by Peter Pearson ; illustrated by Mircea Catusanu ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 25, 2019

A book that runs like a well-oiled machine; expect a load of love from both truck fanatics and pet owners.

bookshelf

The care and feeding of ravenously hungry trucks.

The team behind How to Eat an Airplane (2016) returns with a slightly less ridiculous, yet still highly whackadoodle, tale of pet ownership. “Everyone knows that dump trucks make the best pets. However, adopting a dump truck is a big responsibility.” Certainly owning a pet truck isn’t just something you jump into. After finding the right one you’ll need to feed it, get it licensed, walk it, and keep it in line. Illustrating the second-person text, an enthusiastic child takes the truck to exercise at the local construction site and cleans up after it, even when it, er, dumps. Not a single step in pet-truck ownership is skimped, whether it’s bathtime or bedtime. There’s even a highly informative (and lengthy) fact-filled quiz at the end in which kids can try to determine if the questionnaire is discussing a dog or a dump truck. The book bears many similarities to Jason Carter Eaton and John Rocco’s How to Track a Truck (2016) as a how-to on truck ownership, but the unusual, Terry Gilliam–esque art stands out. Digitally collaged illustrations present a mixed-media look and feel. Humans in the story present an array of different skin tones, with the protagonist presenting white.

A book that runs like a well-oiled machine; expect a load of love from both truck fanatics and pet owners. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: June 25, 2019

ISBN: 978-0-06-232063-6

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S TRANSPORTATION

- BOOK REVIEW
HOW TO EAT AN AIRPLANE
by Peter Pearson ; illustrated by Mircea Catusanu

bookshelf

ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

bookshelf

Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: June 21, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

- BOOK REVIEW
FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

bookshelf

IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

bookshelf

A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.

Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)