A delightful combo of fun and facts about reptiles on the road.
Levinson double-dips, deftly combining vehicle obsession with dinosaur devotion.
This Triassic population inhabits a world of modern infrastructure. On the opening spread, set against a backdrop that hints equally at Manhattan and Seattle, extinct reptiles fill the highway in an assortment of cars and trucks (fuel tanker, steamroller, dump truck, ice cream vending van, pickup, race car, and more). Scenes subsequently shift from city to country, but dinosaurs at the wheel are a constant. Clever, varied verses set a jaunty beat while offering colorful commentary on the action, while speech-bubble dialogue between tiny Triceratops and Pterosaur (who wears cowboy boots) provides further dino facts. Buckle up for wordplay like “CAR-NIVORE” and a minor running joke about the unfamiliarity of animals that haven’t made it on the scene yet. Fossil fuel is presented as a no-no, and the periodic menace of T. rexends comically when he commits a parking violation. Finally, Levinson addresses the reptiles’ eventual disappearance by explaining that they traveled into space. Readers meet not only well-known dinos but also Trachodon, Aquilops (one of whom uses a wheelchair), Tuarangisaurus, and others, some using female pronouns. An unobtrusive pronunciation guide for each creature offers readers welcome help. The entertaining, Richard Scarry–inflected art is colorful and busy, with many small details repaying scrutiny—newspaper vending machines, volcanic explosions, and more—and driving youngsters to repeat reading.
A delightful combo of fun and facts about reptiles on the road. (Picture book/poetry. 3-7)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2025
ISBN: 9781774885239
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 29, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
While there are many rhyming truck books out there, this stands out for being a collection of poems.
Rhyming poems introduce children to anthropomorphized trucks of all sorts, as well as the jobs that they do.
Adorable multiethnic children are the drivers of these 16 trucks—from construction equipment to city trucks, rescue vehicles and a semi—easily standing in for readers, a point made very clear on the final spread. Varying rhyme schemes and poem lengths help keep readers’ attention. For the most part, the rhymes and rhythms work, as in this, from “Cement Mixer”: “No time to wait; / he can’t sit still. / He has to beg your pardon. / For if he dawdles on the way, / his slushy load will harden.” Slonim’s trucks each sport an expressive pair of eyes, but the anthropomorphism stops there, at least in the pictures—Vestergaard sometimes takes it too far, as in “Bulldozer”: “He’s not a bully, either, / although he’s big and tough. / He waits his turn, plays well with friends, / and pushes just enough.” A few trucks’ jobs get short shrift, to mixed effect: “Skid-Steer Loader” focuses on how this truck moves without the typical steering wheel, but “Semi” runs with a royalty analogy and fails to truly impart any knowledge. The acrylic-and-charcoal artwork, set against white backgrounds, keeps the focus on the trucks and the jobs they are doing.
While there are many rhyming truck books out there, this stands out for being a collection of poems. (Picture book/poetry. 3-6)Pub Date: Aug. 27, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-7636-5078-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 28, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A testament to the universality of love.
An expanded explanation of love in both English and Spanish.
Several animal personalities pose the question, “What is love?” and in a series of lift-the-flap responses present various emotional scenarios. Little Elephant asks Spider, “Is it the joy of having you around?” Spider asks, “Is it the way you lift me when I’m down?” Each page corresponds to a flap that reveals one of a multitude of feelings love can evoke in either an English or Spanish rhyme, which are not direct translations of each other. An interspersed refrain notes, “Amor for the Spanish, / and love en inglés. / Love in any language / always means the same.” A palette of pastels and purple and pink hues dominate as hearts abound on each page, surrounding the characters, who are adorable though on the overly sweet side. The characters are from the bilingual preschool series Canticos, though it will work even among those without knowledge of the show. Children more fluent in Spanish will be better able to appreciate this, and those familiar with the show will recognize the signature characters, including “Los Pollitos” (Little Chickies). (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A testament to the universality of love. (Board book. 3-6)Pub Date: Nov. 8, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-945635-72-4
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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