A valuable lesson on egotism, with more than one echo of “The Gingerbread Boy.” (Picture book. 3-6)
Is the boasting mouse asking for trouble?
Jake, “the fastest mouse in the world,” taunts Old Tom Cat, who gives chase, dreaming of a sweet young mouse to eat. It’s no contest. Jake leaps into the garden, where weary Old Tom gets tangled in knots. Next, Jake strolls by a hungry red fox who smiles in greeting and declares his intention to eat him up. Jake taunts the fox—“Can’t catch me!”—who scampers and scurries but never comes close to catching him. This little race has led Jake to the woods, where he’s coveted by a sly wolf who stays low to the ground but can’t catch Jake either, and neither can the bear who tries after. The elated Jake runs and runs, until he’s right back where he started. Old Tom opens one sleepy eye to ask Jake where he’s been, asking him to come closer so he can hear. When Jake does, Old Tom swallows him with one bite. Delicious! Ciraolo’s fluid pencil-and-watercolor illustrations give readers a fluffy, big-eyed Old Tom, and the other predators are equally expressive; Jake is appropriately tiny, but his big, boasting mouth gapes wide with hubris. Knapman peppers his text with juicy action verbs in a text that begs to be read aloud.
A valuable lesson on egotism, with more than one echo of “The Gingerbread Boy.” (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7636-9496-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Sept. 17, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
A sweet reminder that it’s easy to weather a storm with the company and kindness of friends.
Is it a stormy-night scare or a bedtime book? Both!
Little Blue Truck and his good friend Toad are heading home when a storm lets loose. Before long, their familiar, now very nervous barnyard friends (Goat, Hen, Goose, Cow, Duck, and Pig) squeeze into the garage. Blue explains that “clouds bump and tumble in the sky, / but here inside we’re warm and dry, / and all the thirsty plants below / will get a drink to help them grow!” The friends begin to relax. “Duck said, loud as he could quack it, / ‘THUNDER’S JUST A NOISY RACKET!’ ” In the quiet after the storm, the barnyard friends are sleepy, but the garage is not their home. “ ‘Beep!’ said Blue. ‘Just hop inside. / All aboard for the bedtime ride!’ ” Young readers will settle down for their own bedtimes as Blue and Toad drop each friend at home and bid them a good night before returning to the garage and their own beds. “Blue gave one small sleepy ‘Beep.’ / Then Little Blue Truck fell fast asleep.” Joseph’s rich nighttime-blue illustrations (done “in the style of [series co-creator] Jill McElmurry”) highlight the power of the storm and capture the still serenity that follows. Little Blue Truck has been chugging along since 2008, but there seems to be plenty of gas left in the tank.
A sweet reminder that it’s easy to weather a storm with the company and kindness of friends. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 22, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-328-85213-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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