A winning tale of friendship and creativity unleashed.
Bear must devise a fun outing, and the pressure is on.
Fish has many great ideas for her and her pal Bear to try. They climb the tallest tree in the woods (Bear carries Fish’s bowl on her head), ride their “summer sled” to purchase carrot muffins at the bakery, and make a tent using Bear’s favorite blanket. But when Fish suggests that Bear should choose the next day’s activity, Bear is stumped. The night is a fretful one. Eyes wide with anxiety, Bear can’t sleep. “What if she couldn’t find an idea? What if that meant she wasn’t a good friend?” And even more worrisome, what if Fish stops being her friend completely? Throughout the story, Bear checks in: “Fish, are you there?” Fish responds with calm reassurance, never doubting Bear for a second. The next morning, with continued gentle encouragement from Fish, Bear spots the tools from the previous outings and comes up with a brand-new idea that incorporates all of them. Fans of Big Bear and Little Fish (2022) will be pleased to see these characters return. Trusting that an idea will come is a daunting prospect; readers will relate to the lead-up anxiety but also the rush of excitement when it finally arrives. Eyes pooling with worry, scraggly Bear eventually gives way to pure relief and delight—all palpable in the dynamic cartoonish art.
A winning tale of friendship and creativity unleashed. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2024
ISBN: 9798765610176
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Carolrhoda
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2024
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
Serve this superbly designed title to all who relish slightly scary stories.
Kids know vegetables can be scary, but rarely are edible roots out to get someone. In this whimsical mock-horror tale, carrots nearly frighten the whiskers off Jasper Rabbit, an interloper at Crackenhopper Field.
Jasper loves carrots, especially those “free for the taking.” He pulls some in the morning, yanks out a few in the afternoon, and comes again at night to rip out more. Reynolds builds delicious suspense with succinct language that allows understatements to be fully exploited in Brown’s hilarious illustrations. The cartoon pictures, executed in pencil and then digitally colored, are in various shades of gray and serve as a perfectly gloomy backdrop for the vegetables’ eerie orange on each page. “Jasper couldn’t get enough carrots … / … until they started following him.” The plot intensifies as Jasper not only begins to hear the veggies nearby, but also begins to see them everywhere. Initially, young readers will wonder if this is all a product of Jasper’s imagination. Was it a few snarling carrots or just some bathing items peeking out from behind the shower curtain? The ending truly satisfies both readers and the book’s characters alike. And a lesson on greed goes down like honey instead of a forkful of spinach.
Serve this superbly designed title to all who relish slightly scary stories. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 21, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0297-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 1, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
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