Allenby, Victoria. Red Canoe Shows Up at Two! Big, Little Concepts. Pajama, 06/2025. [22]pp. Picture Book. Trade $17.95. 978-1-77278-344-5. GRADES Baby/Toddler–Preschool. LOW ADDITIONAL.
This inventive concept title strives to show young listeners different types of boats, colors, and time. Starting with one o’clock, readers are shown a progression of small boats, aligned with an hour on the clock and a unique color – boat and clocks. Full-page, engaging photographs show off the various boats (mostly small pleasure watercraft), while accompanying text repeats “I spent the day on the dock,” before introducing the specific boat type, color, and time. Four of the ten boats shown have kids and adults pictured, but all appear to be white, when a diverse cast would be expected. Brightly colored clocks (both analog and digital) help readers understand the written time in the text. The concept part of the book misses the mark by ending at ten o’clock (leaving out eleven and twelve), not using a.m. or p.m., having dusk at seven o’clock (according to the darkening sky), then reverting to bright daylight for the three hours after it. Fun to read, fun pictures, but an incomplete look at time.
Joshua Rees—Daly City Public Library