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TOBY TOOTLES

Name: TOBY TOOTLES
Author: Stephanie Gibeault
ISBN: 9781534111790

by Stephanie Gibeault ; illustrated by Mary Sullivan ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 15, 2023

Three toots for an intrepid hero who conquers embarrassment with aplomb.

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“Gas happens!”

Birthday boy Toby, a white rabbit, is in full celebration mode and ready to blow out his candles when something happens: He blows from the wrong end. His friends—a menagerie of animals—laugh and his sister calls him Toby Tootles. Humiliated, Toby spends time with his grandmother, a gray and white rabbit, and observes her having a few gassy gaffes herself. Unlike Toby, Grandma isn’t concerned and tells him that “gas happens.” When the pair are eating out at the end of the day, Toby needs to break wind once again and, remembering Grandma’s advice, takes it in stride this time. A note from the author reminds readers that embarrassing moments happen to everyone and what matters is how we respond to them. Etiquette-minded caregivers and educators may be annoyed that Toby and Grandma don’t excuse themselves when passing gas, but even the most adamant advocates for proper manners will have to agree that the story is pretty darn cute. The illustrations are largely to thank for this, as the round-bodied characters have expressive faces that perfectly capture their emotions, especially Toby’s self-consciousness when toots are fired. The simple message is one that readers of all ages should embrace. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Three toots for an intrepid hero who conquers embarrassment with aplomb. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: March 15, 2023

ISBN: 9781534111790

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press

Review Posted Online: Nov. 28, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2022

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
MAKING SENSE OF DOG SENSES
by Stephanie Gibeault ; illustrated by Raz Latif

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CARPENTER'S HELPER

by Sybil Rosen ; illustrated by Camille Garoche ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 16, 2021

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.

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A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.

Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: March 16, 2021

ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random

Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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LITTLE RED SLEIGH

by Erin Guendelsberger ; illustrated by Elizaveta Tretyakova ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2020

Sadly, the storytelling runs aground.

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A little red sleigh has big Christmas dreams.

Although the detailed, full-color art doesn’t anthropomorphize the protagonist (which readers will likely identify as a sled and not a sleigh), a close third-person text affords the object thoughts and feelings while assigning feminine pronouns. “She longed to become Santa’s big red sleigh,” reads an early line establishing the sleigh’s motivation to leave her Christmas-shop home for the North Pole. Other toys discourage her, but she perseveres despite creeping self-doubt. A train and truck help the sleigh along, and when she wishes she were big, fast, and powerful like them, they offer encouragement and counsel patience. When a storm descends after the sleigh strikes out on her own, an unnamed girl playing in the snow brings her to a group of children who all take turns riding the sleigh down a hill. When the girl brings her home, the sleigh is crestfallen she didn’t reach the North Pole. A convoluted happily-ever-after ending shows a note from Santa that thanks the sleigh for giving children joy and invites her to the North Pole next year. “At last she understood what she was meant to do. She would build her life up spreading joy, one child at a time.” Will she leave the girl’s house to be gifted to other children? Will she stay and somehow also reach ever more children? Readers will be left wondering. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 31.8% of actual size.)

Sadly, the storytelling runs aground. (Picture book. 3-6)