Sweet, reassuring fun, especially for dog lovers.
The fortunes of a pampered pooch are overturned when a newcomer arrives.
His guardian’s only pet, Big Dog leads a sweet life. Big Dog walks his owner, blithely ignores commands, and displays affection at every opportunity. Yep, life’s good, albeit—Big Dog admits—lonely sometimes, and days can seem really long. One day, the pair encounter an owner with a diminutive pup. For Big Dog, life takes a decidedly lousy turn when the humans spend more time with each other and eventually move in together, the little pup naturally joining the household. But Little Dog doesn’t fit in: He’s slow and doesn’t heed commands. Jealous of the cute new family member, Big Dog decides it’s time for Little Dog to go and proceeds with a nefarious plot to expose him as a messy troublemaker. When a load of doggy-doo is found on the rug, the fed-up humans—wise to Big Dog’s chicanery—banish him outdoors. But what’s this? Little Dog won’t sleep without Big Dog beside him—and soon Little Dog learns to “obey” commands as well as his bigger sib does. Best of all, days don’t seem long anymore. This good-natured, simply told Australian import treads very familiar ground, but it will particularly resonate with children grappling with feelings of displacement at, say, a new sibling’s arrival. The colorful illustrations are energetic, with Big Dog especially expressive. Big Dog’s owner is White, while Little Dog’s owner is brown-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Sweet, reassuring fun, especially for dog lovers. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-68464-383-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kane Miller
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
A sweet reminder that it’s easy to weather a storm with the company and kindness of friends.
Is it a stormy-night scare or a bedtime book? Both!
Little Blue Truck and his good friend Toad are heading home when a storm lets loose. Before long, their familiar, now very nervous barnyard friends (Goat, Hen, Goose, Cow, Duck, and Pig) squeeze into the garage. Blue explains that “clouds bump and tumble in the sky, / but here inside we’re warm and dry, / and all the thirsty plants below / will get a drink to help them grow!” The friends begin to relax. “Duck said, loud as he could quack it, / ‘THUNDER’S JUST A NOISY RACKET!’ ” In the quiet after the storm, the barnyard friends are sleepy, but the garage is not their home. “ ‘Beep!’ said Blue. ‘Just hop inside. / All aboard for the bedtime ride!’ ” Young readers will settle down for their own bedtimes as Blue and Toad drop each friend at home and bid them a good night before returning to the garage and their own beds. “Blue gave one small sleepy ‘Beep.’ / Then Little Blue Truck fell fast asleep.” Joseph’s rich nighttime-blue illustrations (done “in the style of [series co-creator] Jill McElmurry”) highlight the power of the storm and capture the still serenity that follows. Little Blue Truck has been chugging along since 2008, but there seems to be plenty of gas left in the tank.
A sweet reminder that it’s easy to weather a storm with the company and kindness of friends. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 22, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-328-85213-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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