Offers some amusing moments, but mostly a pale retread of the first installment.
Flat Cat is back for more feline fun—this time at school.
Flat Cat wasn’t smooshed by a rolling pin or squeezed by a giant pile of library books. He was just born flat. He likes his unusual appearance; he can slip through the blinds in the ice cream shop for a quick cone or float around town on the breeze. When he spies his neighbor Willow waiting for the school bus, he decides to tag along. School is full of people and strange smells. Kids fold Flat Cat into a paper airplane and use him as a bathroom pass. He enjoys this “terrific tomfoolery” until he’s accidentally swept up with the trash. Later, he masquerades as Willow’s missing homework, and they both get a gold star. At show and tell, Flat Cat decides to show what he can do. He jumps in the water fountain, stands under the hand dryer…and poof! He enjoys the attention until Willow squeezes him flat. “What a gold star day.” While Oswald’s purplish illustrations are rife with giggle-worthy sight gags, the narrative feels less like a story and more like a series of unconnected events. Readers may have questions—for instance, how exactly does Flat Cat pass as a hall pass? Those who loved Flat Cat (2023) will be eager for more, but they’ll be more satisfied by the earlier book. Willow is tan-skinned; her school is diverse.
Offers some amusing moments, but mostly a pale retread of the first installment. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 17, 2025
ISBN: 9780593404607
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Flamingo Books
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: tomorrow
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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