A wise, thought-provoking tale about the true meaning of charity.
Helping others is a very fine thing to do.
Hanina Chipmunk loves gathering nuts; she also enjoys the praise she receives for sharing them with others. But not everyone appreciates her thoughtfulness. Mathilda Squirrel gruffly rebuffs Hanina’s offerings. Leon Mouse explains that Mathilda, once a champion nut gatherer, isn’t so mobile anymore and feels self-conscious about requiring assistance. While helping is a mitzvah (or a good deed), so is not embarrassing someone while doing so. Hanina wonders how to accomplish both missions, finally deciding to work at night. Diurnal Hanina knows she’s violating forest rules by venturing out under cover of darkness, but contemplating hungry Mathilda emboldens her to work through startling nighttime forest noises. Even scarier is Hanina’s terrifying confrontation with the nocturnal Great Horned Owl—a chipmunk predator—who ultimately sympathizes with her explanation for the evening escapade. Released by the owl, Hanina delivers her bounty to Mathilda’s door at dawn. She hides when a delighted Mathilda, none the wiser, finds them. Heading home, Hanina concludes that helping someone secretly is best. This sweet, simply told story is based on a tale from the Talmud, one of Judaism’s central texts. It will resonate with children who are generally altruistic by nature; adults may want to encourage a pro-con discussion of clandestine generosity. Stylized illustrations, rendered in gouache, pencil, and crayon and featuring an all-animal cast, make wonderful use of color to depict day and night.
A wise, thought-provoking tale about the true meaning of charity. (information about the Talmud and giving, definitions of diurnal and nocturnal animals) (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9798888592342
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Barefoot Books
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
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