Aim this train for the nearest storytime and choo-choo-choose it anytime.
Interactive tomfoolery reaches new heights (and the occasional depth) when a perpetual crank’s mood meets its match.
Mr. Complain lives up to his name. Clad in a Tyrolean hat and an oversized ascot, the mustachioed, elderly White gent boards a train in the hope of reaching a vacation destination. Alas, at all times he is beset with problems that only he seems to detect. The train compartment he initially sits in is “too happy,” but outside is “too sad.” His animal seatmates are “too bubbly,” “too prickly,” and “too piggly.” The dining car offers some respite, until it starts tilting about—thanks to instructions given specifically to the book’s readers, who are encouraged again and again to wreak extra havoc on the ride. Though Mr. Complain cannot open his mouth without moaning, a relentlessly chipper ostrich conductor meets every last one of the cranky guest’s peeves with reassurance. Surely any adult or child who has ever experienced a flood of nonstop negativity will instantly recognize the Mr. Complains in their own lives. Britt’s thickly inked figures and Beccia’s digital colors bring the train and its chaotic passengers to life; Mr. Complain is particularly amusing, with a neckless, egg-shaped head rising out of a body ending in two tiny feet. It will be hard for child audiences to complain when seeing this story in action. Mr. Complain is the only human in the book.
Aim this train for the nearest storytime and choo-choo-choose it anytime. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Feb. 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-544-82981-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Count on construction die-hards falling in love, but discerning readers would be wise to look elsewhere for their...
Less ambitious than Chris Gall’s widely known Dinotrux (2009) and sequels, this British import systematically relegates each dinosaur/construction-equipment hybrid to its most logical job.
The title figures are introduced as bigger than both diggers and dinosaurs, and rhyming text and two construction-helmeted kids show just what these creatures are capable of. Each diggersaur has a specific job to do and a distinct sound effect. The dozersaurus moves rocks with a “SCRAAAAPE!!!” while the rollersaurus flattens lumps with a cheery “TOOT TOOT!!” Each diggersaur is numbered, with 12 in all, allowing this to be a counting book on the sly. As the diggersaurs (not all of which dig) perform jobs that regular construction equipment can do, albeit on a larger scale, there is no particular reason why any of them should have dinosaurlike looks other than just ’cause. Peppy computer art tries valiantly to attract attention away from the singularly unoriginal text. “Diggersaurs dig with bites so BIG, / each SCOOP creates a crater. // They’re TOUGH and STRONG / with necks so long— / they’re super EXCAVATORS!” Far more interesting are the two human characters, a white girl and a black boy, that flit about the pictures offering commentary and action. Much of the fun of the book can be found in trying to spot them on every two-page spread.
Count on construction die-hards falling in love, but discerning readers would be wise to look elsewhere for their dino/construction kicks. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 2, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-9848-4779-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Jan. 14, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A tender book to help little ones make sense of the emotions around prayer.
Actor Metz and songwriter Collins join illustrator Fields in their second faith-related title for young children.
Instead of focusing on the language of prayer—what to say or how to say it—this book explores a topic central to the lives of the very young: their feelings around talking to God. Rhymes and near-rhymes in the AABB verses enumerate the simple challenges and triumphs experienced by a series of animals: “Sometimes I’m sad, not sure what to do. / There are days I feel teary, unhappy, or blue. / I fell off a log. I’m embarrassed and hurt. / My coat and paws are all covered in dirt.” An accompanying illustration depicts a sad wolf pup, a definite contrast to its siblings, who are delighting in their play. The highlight of the book is Fields’ animal characters. Whether happy, nervous, or sad, their expressive faces are easy to read, and their feelings will be familiar to young tots. The beaver’s frustration is palpable, and the tears in the scared raccoon’s eyes may just make readers’ own eyes well up. Some of the animals have a God stand-in to help them with their feelings—a friend or family member—but the final spread shows all the individual animals coming together in a couple of group hugs that express where children can find support (and sweetly defy predator–prey relationships).
A tender book to help little ones make sense of the emotions around prayer. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 4, 2025
ISBN: 9780593691366
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Flamingo Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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