Wheels and Springs and Moving Things!, by Sally Rippin/Illustrated by Chris Kennett, (May 2024, Kane Miller), $12.99, ISBN: 9781684649211
The Australian School of Monsters chapter book series arrives on American shores with a rhyming picture book/seek-and-find adventure. Each character in Wheels and Springs and Moving Things! introduces readers to a member of their family, offering rhyming clues to their jobs: can you figure out what they do? Spreads alternate between clues and a solution, featuring the occupation and related vocabulary. Frank’s Dad, for instance, is a farmer: clues include “My dad digs the earth to plant seedlings and trees, / which grow into homes for the birds and the bees”. The following spread shows Frank and his father in a tractor and trailer; Frank exclaims, “He’s a farmer!” and readers are treated to a spread filled with farm-related vehicles and equipment, all labeled for expanding vocabularies. The monsters are adorably kid-friendly, colorful, and sport cheery expressions. Additional activities, including seek-and-find challenges, await readers at the end of the story. Endpapers sport bats with different occupations fluttering about: one wears an astronaut’s helmet; another carries a letter. It’s a fun addition to collections where Where’s Waldo and other seek-and-find books do well.
Author Sally Rippin’s website includes a School of Monsters activity pack and parent pack, available for free. Publisher Kane Miller also has a special page dedicated to Rippin, a 2024-2025 Australian Children’s Laureate!
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