All the animals happily greet Little Blue Truck as it amiably trundles over hill and dale: "Toad said, 'Croak!'/ and winked an eye/ when Little Blue Truck/ went rolling by." No wonder, then, that the obnoxious Dump Truck gets a cold shoulder when it goes too fast ("I haven't got time to pass the day/ with every duck along the way!") and gets stuck in the rural muck. But when the selfless Little Blue Truck gets mired while trying to help, all the animals rally 'round and teach Dump Truck about neighborliness (the particularly buff Toad implicitly offers a subsidiary lesson on the value of working out). Schertle's (All You Need for a Beach) rhyming stanzas are succinct, and she gives readers plenty of opportunities to chime in with animal and vehicle noises; colored, standout fonts highlight these sounds for extra effect. McElmurry's (Mad About Plaid) gouaches recall the heyday of Golden Books in their combination of vividness, naïveté and sweetness, and her rich palette achieves verisimilitude that is no less satisfying for being nostalgic. Ages 37. (May)
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The early years of a child’s life are full of firsts—first tooth, first word, first steps. And on a child’s first (or second) Christmas or Hanukkah, what a joy to give the perfect present and watch their face light up. Here’s a selection of books and toys that will build your baby’s vocabulary, aid in brain development, and, most importantly, […]
Warm and cozy winter tales have been the theme of our bedtime stories for the past several months, and they’re wearing as thin as black ice! If you too are eagerly anticipating the upcoming thaw, then this month’s shower of picture books will delight you and your family, because they’re brimming with springtime celebrations.
While realistic stories about childhood experiences are lovely, so are tales in which animals talk and muffins walk; books that offer a glimpse of a sillier, more whimsical world than the one we inhabit. Of course, as kids grow up, they learn to separate fact from fiction; to realize that dogs don’t play tennis or wear extravagant hats […]