A silly romp that does some subtly hard lifting.
Ice cream cone…or magic hat?
One day Keith the cat is happily walking through the meadow when “Plop!”—a triple-scoop ice cream cone lands on his head (ice cream–side down). The other cats mock him…until he denies that it’s an ice cream cone. He says it’s a magic hat. Of course, now the others call on him to do some magic. As Keith reaches for the “chocolatey magic wand” that fell off his hat, it appears to move on its own (readers will note the line of tiny ants that are trying to make off with it). Keith sees the ants but the others don’t; now they want more magic, and Keith likes the attention. Keith (coincidentally) summons a family of rabbits that pops out of the ground, amazing the other cats. When a dog menaces the group, though, Keith can’t make it disappear, so they all race up a tree. When his ice cream hat slips off Keith’s head and lands on the dog, something unexpected happens. Prolific British author/illustrator Hendra’s 2012 tale of feline foolishness here makes its American debut. The boldly colored, digitally created illustrations are full of wide-eyed cats of different shades. With its brief text and clear visual cues, it’s a good introduction for younger preschoolers to the synergy of text and artwork.
A silly romp that does some subtly hard lifting. (Picture book. 2-7)Pub Date: May 8, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4814-9035-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
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
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Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own...
The sturdy Little Blue Truck is back for his third adventure, this time delivering Christmas trees to his band of animal pals.
The truck is decked out for the season with a Christmas wreath that suggests a nose between headlights acting as eyeballs. Little Blue loads up with trees at Toad’s Trees, where five trees are marked with numbered tags. These five trees are counted and arithmetically manipulated in various ways throughout the rhyming story as they are dropped off one by one to Little Blue’s friends. The final tree is reserved for the truck’s own use at his garage home, where he is welcomed back by the tree salestoad in a neatly circular fashion. The last tree is already decorated, and Little Blue gets a surprise along with readers, as tiny lights embedded in the illustrations sparkle for a few seconds when the last page is turned. Though it’s a gimmick, it’s a pleasant surprise, and it fits with the retro atmosphere of the snowy country scenes. The short, rhyming text is accented with colored highlights, red for the animal sounds and bright green for the numerical words in the Christmas-tree countdown.
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own tree that will put a twinkle in a toddler’s eyes. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-544-32041-3
Page Count: 24
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2014
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