Delacroix’s idyll allows young readers to discover new, exciting surprises in the pictures again and again upon second,...
When a family vacation ends, sometimes that’s when imagination begins. How else does one manage the loss of ocean breezes and sand between the toes?
A calm palette of yellows, browns, and grays with touches of blue allows readers to experience the post-holiday disappointment of a young girl and her younger brother in a quiet, gentle way. Rather than offering loud screaming colors and mouths drawn like gaping maws of displeasure, Delacroix shows readers a quieter examination, turning frustration into whimsy. When the girl discovers that she has come home from their summer vacation at the beach with a shoe full of sand, she begins pouring it onto the ground. Her brother asks what she is doing, and she answers: “I have all these grains of sand, and I don’t want to throw them away… I know! Let’s plant them!” The two then embark on an adventure, picturing the harvest of their beach sand as bright yellow beach umbrellas or a field filled with ice cream cones, lemon flavored—if you please. Words are delivered as spare accompaniment to the beautiful, lush, almost tactile artwork. Expressions of sadness soon turn joyous with each imagined scenario. The siblings are both pale-skinned, the girl with a straight, black pageboy and the boy with a blond mop.
Delacroix’s idyll allows young readers to discover new, exciting surprises in the pictures again and again upon second, third, and 33rd readings—as captivating as an ocean breeze and soothing as a hug. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 15, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-77147-205-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Owlkids Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 21, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018
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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Quirky, familiar fun for series devotees.
After Duncan finds his crayons gone—yet again—letters arrive, detailing their adventures in friendship.
Eleven crayons send missives from their chosen spots throughout Duncan’s home (and one from his classroom). Red enjoys the thrill of extinguishing “pretend fires” with Duncan’s toy firetruck. White, so often dismissed as invisible, finds a new calling subbing in for the missing queen on the black-and-white chessboard. “Now everyone ALWAYS SEES ME!…(Well, half the time!)” Pink’s living the dream as a pastry chef helming the Breezy Bake Oven, “baking everything from little cupcakes…to…OTHER little cupcakes!” Teal, who’s hitched a ride to school in Duncan’s backpack, meets the crayons in the boy’s desk and writes, “Guess what? I HAVE A TWIN! How come you never told me?” Duncan wants to see his crayons and “meet their new friends.” A culminating dinner party assembles the crayons and their many guests: a table tennis ball, dog biscuits, a well-loved teddy bear, and more. The premise—personified crayons, away and back again—is well-trammeled territory by now, after over a dozen books and spinoffs, and Jeffers once more delivers his signature cartooning and hand-lettering. Though the pages lack the laugh-out-loud sight gags and side-splittingly funny asides of previous outings, readers—especially fans of the crayons’ previous outings—will enjoy checking in on their pals.
Quirky, familiar fun for series devotees. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 3, 2025
ISBN: 9780593622360
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: March 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2025
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