Lackluster text but worth a look for the marvelous art.
In this picture-book adaptation of a Swiss German song written by the author, a caterpillar undergoes a spectacular transformation while a neighboring worm scoffs.
“I’m chryzzaling,” Caterpillar tells Worm in an attempt to convey its feeling of bewildered excitement. “Very soon I could be changing everything.” The worm and its wife chuckle over the caterpillar’s claim that it might even fly. They miss the main event—the caterpillar’s exit from the chrysalis and its first flight as a butterfly—but our protagonist beams with pride all the same. Though the moral is sound, the awkward phrasing will leave listeners uninspired: “Those who chryzzle and who trust their deepest feelings / Stand a flying chance of reaching anywhere.” Bond’s sentimental words make for a clunky read-aloud (“Listen, life is full of secrets and surprises. / There’s far more to see than where we sit and crawl. / So I’m chryzzaling and wonder where we’re heading, / And what is the deeper meaning of it all”). Völk’s delicately drawn and colored illustrations, however, are delightful. Whimsical faces on both Caterpillar and Worm (who sports a pair of spectacles), trees that seem to flutter in the wind, and small moments like people buying balloons on the town square convey joy as the perspective moves from the level of grass and flower stalks to the sky. Human characters have skin the color of the page.
Lackluster text but worth a look for the marvelous art. (QR code for the titular song) (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 11, 2025
ISBN: 9780735845596
Page Count: 32
Publisher: NorthSouth
Review Posted Online: Dec. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2025
Serve this superbly designed title to all who relish slightly scary stories.
Kids know vegetables can be scary, but rarely are edible roots out to get someone. In this whimsical mock-horror tale, carrots nearly frighten the whiskers off Jasper Rabbit, an interloper at Crackenhopper Field.
Jasper loves carrots, especially those “free for the taking.” He pulls some in the morning, yanks out a few in the afternoon, and comes again at night to rip out more. Reynolds builds delicious suspense with succinct language that allows understatements to be fully exploited in Brown’s hilarious illustrations. The cartoon pictures, executed in pencil and then digitally colored, are in various shades of gray and serve as a perfectly gloomy backdrop for the vegetables’ eerie orange on each page. “Jasper couldn’t get enough carrots … / … until they started following him.” The plot intensifies as Jasper not only begins to hear the veggies nearby, but also begins to see them everywhere. Initially, young readers will wonder if this is all a product of Jasper’s imagination. Was it a few snarling carrots or just some bathing items peeking out from behind the shower curtain? The ending truly satisfies both readers and the book’s characters alike. And a lesson on greed goes down like honey instead of a forkful of spinach.
Serve this superbly designed title to all who relish slightly scary stories. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 21, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0297-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 1, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
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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