Monthly Archives: January 2007

Jan14

Chuck’s Truck by Peggy Perry Anderson

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Anderson, Peggy Perry. Chuck’s Truck. Clarion, 2017 (reissue). ISBN 978-0544926189 32 pp. $12.99

This rhyming book is a great transition for beginning readers. When Chuck’s truck breaks down after being piled with barnyard animals, Handyman Hugh and his whole delightfully diverse crew come to the rescue, and everyone pitches in to lend a hand in transitioning the pickup from old blue and rusty red to shining new blue.

The illustrations have a waxy, crayon feel to them. Colors are whimsical and child-like: a purple goat, a yellow horse, a red dog, a green cat, a blue goose. Dialogic reading of the book could encourage naming of colors and animals in conjunction with the story, or asking for other words that rhyme. 

Recommended for large collections, or one-on-one reading.

Review by Beth Gallaway

Jan14

Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen; illus. by Kevin Hawkes

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Knudsen, Michelle, illus. by Kevin Hawkes. Library Lion. Candlewick, 2006. ISBN  978-0763622626 32 pp. $15.99

****

This is a book that librarians will love because it is about libraries, and that kids will love because it’s about being loud in the library. When a lion walks into the library, no one says peep until he roars in disappointment at the end of storytime. Miss Merriweather insists that rule breaking is not allowed; chiefly, no roaring. The promise of more stories in return for good manners turns the lion into a stellar library volunteer. When the lion breaks rule number one, he self-imposes an exile, and the library is very, very quiet without him.

Hawkes muted illustrations are a throwback to classic libraries and children’s publishing. Soft blues, browns, reds and golds give a warm tone to this tale. The lion appears to be modelled after the New York Public Library’s twin guardians, and the dress of the staff and look of the stacks is decidedly old-fashioned, but  card catalogs and computers are featured. Michelle Knudsen’s straightforward story brings up an excellent point: that sometimes rules are meant to be broken, an attitude that we should be embracing in our “everything is in beta” culture.

Sweet but predictable, both the theme and names of the author/illustrator will make this one a popular purchase.