Purrfectly charming!
Pets can be…complicated.
When Sunny’s father adopts a scruffy gray cat he names Oswaldo, Sunny is less than thrilled. Sunny, who has light, freckled skin and straight reddish-brown hair, doesn’t like the cat’s name, his grooming habits, or the way he hisses at her. But Sunny’s father loves Oswaldo, so Sunny tolerates him—even when it seems like Oswaldo gets special privileges that Sunny doesn’t. Oswaldo often disappears all day, returning before bedtime—until one day he doesn’t. Sunny is initially happy, but her father explains that Oswaldo’s life pre-adoption was tough and they need to be a little patient with him. “That doesn’t mean he’s not a good cat. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t love him.” Thankfully Oswaldo eventually reappears, and both he and Sunny become a little more tolerant of each other. This well-paced story tells a realistic story of an adopted pet with grace and light humor. Families with strong-willed pets will love meeting Oswaldo, and those considering adopting a new furry friend from a shelter will find this an excellent way to remind younger family members that some animals, especially those who have endured difficult pasts, may be slow to warm up. The artwork has an exaggerated, cartoonish quality, though it also turns poignant; the final illustration of Sunny and Oswaldo hugging makes clear that even the most stubborn of us—human and pet—can change our opinions when we consider others. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Purrfectly charming! (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-64375-095-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Algonquin
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2022
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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