A squandered opportunity for intergalactic hijinks.
Four friends go to space.
Unicorn wants to visit “the most fabulous planet in the universe.” His friends Mermaid (who’s tan-skinned), Narwhal, and Jellyfish tag along, and though Unicorn acts grumpy to see them, he’s secretly pleased—he had been “nervous about going into space all by himself.” They pass a planet full of merfolk, another with narwhals, and another with jellyfish, but Unicorn points out that going into space was his idea, and he gets to choose the planet. They find one populated entirely with other unicorns identical to the protagonist (it’s hinted that he is the only one of his kind on Earth), but the alien unicorns are annoyed by Jellyfish’s nervous hiccups and, stating that only “fabulous unicorns” are welcome here, force Mermaid, Narwhal, and Jellyfish back into their rocket. Unicorn goes with them, preaching, “They were not very fabulous because they were not very kind to you.” This brightly illustrated picture book relies on the inherent ridiculousness of creatures in space but never coheres into a story. There are too many questions raised about the different planets, why Unicorn wants to leave Earth in the first place, and whether a didactic sentence about kindness is worth hinging a narrative climax on. The shallow cruelty of the rainbow-maned, limp-hoofed unicorns shown working out or having their hair styled in salons could be read as caricatures of gay men, but it will likely go over children's heads. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A squandered opportunity for intergalactic hijinks. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2023
ISBN: 9781338828719
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2023
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
Quirky, familiar fun for series devotees.
After Duncan finds his crayons gone—yet again—letters arrive, detailing their adventures in friendship.
Eleven crayons send missives from their chosen spots throughout Duncan’s home (and one from his classroom). Red enjoys the thrill of extinguishing “pretend fires” with Duncan’s toy firetruck. White, so often dismissed as invisible, finds a new calling subbing in for the missing queen on the black-and-white chessboard. “Now everyone ALWAYS SEES ME!…(Well, half the time!)” Pink’s living the dream as a pastry chef helming the Breezy Bake Oven, “baking everything from little cupcakes…to…OTHER little cupcakes!” Teal, who’s hitched a ride to school in Duncan’s backpack, meets the crayons in the boy’s desk and writes, “Guess what? I HAVE A TWIN! How come you never told me?” Duncan wants to see his crayons and “meet their new friends.” A culminating dinner party assembles the crayons and their many guests: a table tennis ball, dog biscuits, a well-loved teddy bear, and more. The premise—personified crayons, away and back again—is well-trammeled territory by now, after over a dozen books and spinoffs, and Jeffers once more delivers his signature cartooning and hand-lettering. Though the pages lack the laugh-out-loud sight gags and side-splittingly funny asides of previous outings, readers—especially fans of the crayons’ previous outings—will enjoy checking in on their pals.
Quirky, familiar fun for series devotees. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 3, 2025
ISBN: 9780593622360
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: March 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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