Dazzling.
This quiet book explores what happens in a forest as day slips into night.
Under a full moon, the landscape glows, exposing various night creatures and their activities. The air above resounds with the hooting of owls and the whirring of bats. On the ground, other creatures stir. A porcupine “scoots between roots.” Others prowl through the shadows, such as a fox, a deer, and mice. Others make no sounds at all, like the fireflies that fill the night with glowing lights. Jackson’s sparse but sensory text entices readers’ imaginations while sparking their curiosity. Its rich onomatopoeia adds to the story’s enjoyment, while its quiet pace creates a soothing bedtime story for young readers. Tillotson’s mottled illustrations that sneakily play with positive and negative space complement the text. Digitally worked watercolors hold on to the fading light, shapes morphing from page to page so that leaves become eyes; translucent print in varying typefaces and fonts floats on the page, in motion with the forest creatures. Readers will relish finding the veiled creatures in the darkening woods—both those that are mentioned on the pages and those that are not. In addition to fostering observational skills in young children, this book could also tie in well with primary grade environmental curricula.
Dazzling. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 7, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4814-1571-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Caitlyn Dlouhy/Atheneum
Review Posted Online: Dec. 20, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 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
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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