A quick, whimsical way to introduce irregular plural nouns to a young audience.
A little girl learns about irregular plural nouns with the help of a friendly teacher and some mouse companions in Licari’s illustrated children’s book.
Mia is a young girl with light-colored skin and brown hair who, while playing in her backyard, befriends three little mice she names Squeaky, Nibbles, and Speedy. She runs into a problem when she tries to collectively label them: “But something seemed funny, / even strange and surreal. / When she called her friends mouses, / was that right? What’s the deal?” After her friends and family tell her that the correct plural is mice, Mia runs to her teacher, Miss Jess, and asks her to explain the grammar rules. Miss Jess gives examples of regular plural nouns, then irregular ones (like person to people), moving on to plurals that don’t change at all (like deer). With her newfound knowledge, Mia gains the confidence to speak correctly and help others with irregular plural nouns. The book maintains a consistent ABCB rhyme scheme throughout, with only occasional variances (such as an ABCDB rhyme scheme used when explaining that some plural nouns remain unchanged). For those who want to delve further into the subject, there is a companion volume, Mia’s Mouses Workbook & Coloring Book, to reinforce the lessons. While Nieto’s illustrations themselves are quite flat, with boldly colored two-dimensional characters and backgrounds, there are instances when the artist cleverly weaves the text into the pictures themselves. For example, the rule for plural nouns (“For most words it’s simple / add an ‘es’ or ‘s’/ but not all are like this, some more and some less”) is written on the actual chalkboard in Miss Jess’ classroom. This adds a fun interactive element to the story. The rhymes themselves are catchy but extremely simple, making them age-appropriate for kids at the Pre-K to kindergarten level. With only four to eight lines per page, young audiences will likely breeze right through the material and learn an important grammar rule along the way.
A quick, whimsical way to introduce irregular plural nouns to a young audience. (Juvenile fiction, ages 4-8)Pub Date: April 14, 2024
ISBN: 9781665758376
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Archway Pub
Review Posted Online: Sept. 4, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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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Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
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