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NEVER LET YOU GO

Just fine for an extra reading hug at bedtime.

A penguin parent assures a penguin child that love will always be there.

The bowling-pin–shaped adult penguin is purple and smiles affectionately at its rounded, slightly-brighter-purple little one, while qualifying the various circumstances that might modify the declaration in the opening pages: “I will never let you go.” “Except” continues the large penguin speaking to the small penguin, “when you need to go to the bathroom.” And eat lunch or draw a picture. “But other than that, little one…I will never let you go.” And then, amusingly, some more exceptions: “when you have to chase the stars,” “throw a tantrum,” “need some quiet time”—and finally: “want to play with your friends.” Here the little penguin is seen happily bouncing away to a group of young penguins but returning to give a reassuring hug to the loving big penguin and repeat the words: “I will never let you go.” The digitally colored brush, ink, and charcoal art is simple and clear, and the humor and truth of the exceptions woven into the hyperbolic promise of “never” keep the message of unconditional love (except possibly for that tantrum) from being saccharine or claustrophobic.

Just fine for an extra reading hug at bedtime. (Picture book. 18 mos.-4)

Pub Date: Nov. 6, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-5107-3871-3

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Sky Pony Press

Review Posted Online: July 29, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018

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FAMILIES BELONG

A joyful celebration.

Families in a variety of configurations play, dance, and celebrate together.

The rhymed verse, based on a song from the Noodle Loaf children’s podcast, declares that “Families belong / Together like a puzzle / Different-sized people / One big snuggle.” The accompanying image shows an interracial couple of caregivers (one with brown skin and one pale) cuddling with a pajama-clad toddler with light brown skin and surrounded by two cats and a dog. Subsequent pages show a wide array of families with members of many different racial presentations engaging in bike and bus rides, indoor dance parties, and more. In some, readers see only one caregiver: a father or a grandparent, perhaps. One same-sex couple with two children in tow are expecting another child. Smart’s illustrations are playful and expressive, curating the most joyful moments of family life. The verse, punctuated by the word together, frequently set in oversized font, is gently inclusive at its best but may trip up readers with its irregular rhythms. The song that inspired the book can be found on the Noodle Loaf website.

A joyful celebration. (Board book. 1-3)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020

ISBN: 978-0-593-22276-8

Page Count: 24

Publisher: Rise x Penguin Workshop

Review Posted Online: Nov. 26, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2020

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LITTLE BLUE TRUCK'S SPRINGTIME

From the Little Blue Truck series

Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come.

Little Blue Truck and his pal Toad meet friends old and new on a springtime drive through the country.

This lift-the-flap, interactive entry in the popular Little Blue Truck series lacks the narrative strength and valuable life lessons of the original Little Blue Truck (2008) and its sequel, Little Blue Truck Leads the Way (2009). Both of those books, published for preschoolers rather than toddlers, featured rich storylines, dramatic, kinetic illustrations, and simple but valuable life lessons—the folly of taking oneself too seriously, the importance of friends, and the virtue of taking turns, for example. At about half the length and with half as much text as the aforementioned titles, this volume is a much quicker read. Less a story than a vernal celebration, the book depicts a bucolic drive through farmland and encounters with various animals and their young along the way. Beautifully rendered two-page tableaux teem with butterflies, blossoms, and vibrant pastel, springtime colors. Little Blue greets a sheep standing in the door of a barn: “Yoo-hoo, Sheep! / Beep-beep! / What’s new?” Folding back the durable, card-stock flap reveals the barn’s interior and an adorable set of twin lambs. Encounters with a duck and nine ducklings, a cow with a calf, a pig with 10 (!) piglets, a family of bunnies, and a chicken with a freshly hatched chick provide ample opportunity for counting and vocabulary work.

Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come. (Board book. 1-4)

Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018

ISBN: 978-0-544-93809-0

Page Count: 16

Publisher: HMH Books

Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018

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