Beautiful but ultimately puzzling.
A girl must summon her courage.
One morning, brown-skinned Leila encounters a “mad cloud” that won’t stop growing. As she flees, her surroundings grow menacing, and she becomes lost in a wooded hollow filled with trees studded with eyes. Suddenly, she hears a fragile voice. After she frees the source of the voice, it appears before her—a large horned pink creature with a manelike fringe around its head. As they set off through the woods, the voice expresses worries (“What if it rains?” “And what if we get lost”), which Leila answers gently. When the mad cloud returns, Leila transforms the voice into “a sea serpent to battle the storm.” The cloud perseveres, though, knocking Leila down. The voice, now stronger, finds her and soothes her, reminding her that she’s “a mighty thing.” The two end their journey by plunging into “the wild wind,” and Leila promises never to forget the voice; the unseen narrator reassures readers that she keeps her promise. With chalklike textures, the illustrations are truly stunning; the cloud and the other creatures Leila encounters are haunting, and Maydani ramps up the drama for the climactic moments, with colors and shapes blending. The text, however, may leave readers with questions. While caregivers and educators will recognize this as a story of a child discovering her inner voice, readers will likely find it too abstract and will need adult guidance to draw connections between the imagery and Leila’s emotions.
Beautiful but ultimately puzzling. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: July 22, 2025
ISBN: 9780593620373
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Kokila
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2025
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
A sweet notion that falls flat.
A hit song reimagined as a book about parental love.
Featured in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn—Part 1, Perri’s “A Thousand Years” deals with the speaker’s fear of romantic love. In picture-book form, it explores a parent’s unwavering love for a child, who grows from an infant into a toddler over the course of the narrative. The caregiver expresses awe when the youngster learns to stand and fear that the child might fall while beginning to walk. “I have spent every day waiting for you,” the parent says. “Darling, don’t be afraid.” What the child might fear isn’t clear from the joyful balloon- and rainbow-filled illustrations. The story borders on cloying, and words that might work when sung and accompanied by music don’t sound fresh on the page: “Time goes by. / You grow ever stronger as you fly.” The refrain, however, is a lovely sentiment: “I have loved you for a thousand years. / I’ll love you for a thousand more.” Perri’s legion of fans may flock to this version, illustrated by Ruiz with sparkling stars, bubbles, and big-eyed toddlers, but it doesn’t hold together as a narrative or an ode, as it’s billed, and it’s a long way from the original song. The child is tan-skinned, the parent is lighter-skinned, and other characters are diverse.
A sweet notion that falls flat. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 1, 2025
ISBN: 9780593622599
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025
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