A treat for Hot Rod fans as well as lovers of trucks and carnival rides.
Hot Rod Hamster takes the fair by storm!
Hot Rod and his big bulldog buddy are headed to the fair to see Fearless Franco’s Monster Truck Mania. “Truck day, treat day, cotton-candy sweet day. / Fun day, fair day, music in the air day.” But the show is not until 3:00. What can they do in the meantime? Hamster knows: search for the perfect ride! He knows the attributes of the perfect ride. The first criterion is fun. “Sailboat, rowboat, pirates long ago boat. / Sub boat, tugboat, chugga-chugga-chug boat. / Which would you choose?” The boat ride is fun, but the perfect ride will also be fast. The teacups ride fits that bill, but the perfect ride will also let them drive. The bumper cars are pretty good, but the perfect ride will go up in the air. Bulldog goes to save their seats for the monster-truck show while Hot Rod gets some cotton candy…where he hears that Fearless Franco can’t drive since he broke his glasses. Now who do you think would like to drive a monster truck? Lord and Anderson reteam for a third fun-filled, rhythmic jaunt with Hot Rod and his friends (Happy Birthday, Hamster, 2011, etc.). Returning to what he loves best—things that GO!—Anderson’s bright-eyed, expressive acrylics extend Lord’s enthusiastic rhyming tale to perfection.
A treat for Hot Rod fans as well as lovers of trucks and carnival rides. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-545-46261-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 17, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Yes, the Pigeon has to go to school, and so do readers, and this book will surely ease the way.
All the typical worries and excuses kids have about school are filtered through Willems’ hysterical, bus-loving Pigeon.
Told mostly in speech balloons, the bird’s monologue will have kids (and their caregivers) in stitches at Pigeon’s excuses. From already knowing everything (except whatever question readers choose to provide in response to “Go ahead—ask me a question. / Any question!”) to fearing learning too much (“My head might pop off”), Pigeon’s imagination has run wild. Readers familiar with Pigeon will recognize the muted, matte backgrounds that show off the bird’s shenanigans so well. As in previous outings, Willems varies the size of the pigeon on the page to help communicate emotion, the bird teeny small on the double-page spread that illustrates the confession that “I’m… / scared.” And Pigeon’s eight-box rant about all the perils of school (“The unknown stresses me out, dude”) is marvelously followed by the realization (complete with lightbulb thought bubble) that school is the place for students to practice, with experts, all those skills they don’t yet have. But it is the ending that is so Willems, so Pigeon, and so perfect. Pigeon’s last question is “Well, HOW am I supposed to get there, anyway!?!” Readers will readily guess both the answer and Pigeon’s reaction.
Yes, the Pigeon has to go to school, and so do readers, and this book will surely ease the way. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 2, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-368-04645-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it.
What happens when a robot washes up alone on an island?
“Everything was just right on the island.” Brown beautifully re-creates the first days of Roz, the protagonist of his Wild Robot novels, as she adapts to living in the natural world. A storm-tossed ship, seen in the opening just before the title page, and a packing crate are the only other human-made objects to appear in this close-up look at the robot and her new home. Roz emerges from the crate, and her first thought as she sets off up a grassy hill—”This must be where I belong”—is sweetly glorious, a note of recognition rather than conquest. Roz learns to move, hide, and communicate like the creatures she meets. When she discovers an orphaned egg—and the gosling Brightbill, who eventually hatches—her decision to be his mother seems a natural extension of her adaptation. Once he flies south for the winter, her quiet wait across seasons for his return is a poignant portrayal of separation and change. Brown’s clean, precise lines and deep, light-filled colors offer a sense of what Roz might be seeing, suggesting a place that is alive yet deeply serene and radiant. Though the book stands alone, it adds an immensely appealing dimension to Roz’s world. Round thumbnails offer charming peeks into the island world, depicting Roz’s animal neighbors and Brightbill’s maturation.
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 24, 2025
ISBN: 9780316669467
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
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