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Todd, Mark
5 Reviews
(3)
K-3
In this poetry picture book, specialty food trucks bring tasty food to town: falafel, hamburgers, sushi, ice cream, barbecue, cupcakes, and more. The poems feature puns and rhymes; visual humor in the cartoon illustrations reinforces the idea that you can get almost anything made to order on a food truck. A smattering of interesting facts appear in cloud-shaped sidebars on each spread.
Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo
(3)
4-6
At its core, the volume is a descriptive list of mythological monsters, from the immortal half-woman, half-serpent Echidna to Python, the dangerous snake sent to kill baby Apollo. The notebook-style layout includes doodles, photographs, and scrap papers, making the book appear to be a relic unearthed from the ruins of a modern school locker.
Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan
(4)
PS
A repetitive, awkwardly rhymed text introduces a variety of big trucks and their jobs. Double-page caricatures give each truck facial features and names, along with custom plates ("Rubble" for a dump truck). Sure to be popular with preschool-age truck fans, this book offers simplified but humorous details. A page of truck facts (height, weight, etc.) is appended.
Reviewer: Beth L. Meister
(4)
K-3
A venomous vampire, a warty witch, and a hairy werewolf are just a few of the possibilities suggested to answer the title question. On each double-page spread, occasionally awkward rhymed text accompanies bold acrylic paintings of a child dressed in each costume, set off by a brightly colored background. A slightly scary-looking font adds to the mood.
Reviewer: CHristine Sarrazin
(4)
PS
"10 toads tune the turbo. / 9 night owls need some oil. / 8 elephants edge in together." Wacky cartoon animals prepare for the big race in this counting book. At "GO!" they careen madly around a track in a four-page foldout spread. Disappointingly, the end falls flat when a page turn reveals a child playing with toy cars ("And the winner is...YOU!"), but the vivid colors and comic effects of most of the illustrations are a winning combination.
Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam
5 reviews
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