A reminder that happiness derives from adapting to what might once have seemed strange.
Hot chocolate wins over strong opposition.
Eeny, the youngest of three mole sisters who live in a hole deep underground, is the only one of her siblings who dares venture “Up Above.” Eeny loves the newness and surprises of the world outside. Her sisters distrust anything different and warn her about dangers, especially humans, but she remains undeterred. Her description of something new and unimaginable—hot chocolate—makes her siblings swoon with horror. When Eeny can’t rouse them, she resorts to drastic measures: She travels Up Above, pours hot chocolate into acorn cups given to her by a human she’s befriended known only as “the Boy,” and returns home. (Only the Boy’s light-skinned hand is seen.) The beverage’s delectable aroma awakens the sisters, who bravely taste it, albeit not from their familiar hole. (They do appreciate that it’s dark like their hole.) When Eeny explains where it’s from, the sisters faint again, though they love it and want more. Eeny performs a sneaky maneuver that proves hot chocolate—or anything new and different—can move anyone out of their comfort zone. This thin but cute story and the colorful, lively illustrations are as sweet and cozy as a chocolate drink. Kids will admire Eeny’s pluck and be glad her sisters learn to broaden their horizons somewhat, demonstrating the importance of accepting change and becoming more open-minded.
A reminder that happiness derives from adapting to what might once have seemed strange. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 26, 2024
ISBN: 9781623717056
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Crocodile/Interlink
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.
The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 21, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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