A tender, loving, nearly perfect bedtime story.
Worried Little Bunny can’t sleep and seeks reassurance from mother.
Little Bunny fears staying small and never growing big enough to do anything. Mommy is totally supportive, engaging her little one in imagining what could be and urging her little one to visualize it all in dreams. Little Bunny gives it a try, though insisting that a beloved toy elephant be a constant companion in those dreams. Maybe they’ll pretend they’re giants, or stay small enough to ride on a bumblebee, or even grow their own wings, and have lots of brave adventures, soaring over oceans or visiting outer space. Of course they will always come home to read books with Mommy. Little Bunny is finally ready for bed, with Elephant already there, dreams awaiting. The tale is told entirely in dialogue, with Mommy’s words appearing in italics to distinguish them from Little Bunny’s. Mommy’s tone is calm, thoughtful, and always encouraging, with Little Bunny open to suggestions and ready to enlarge on the possibilities. The nighttime, indoor illustrations appear softly edged and are gently hued in grays and light greens while the imaginary sequences are more colorful, with sharper edges. Mommy is depicted wearing a dress while Little Bunny is wearing pajamas before appearing in a spacesuit in the final, fall-asleep dream. No gender is assigned to Little Bunny. Young readers and their grown-ups might add their own imaginations to the proceedings as they read the tale together in two voices.
A tender, loving, nearly perfect bedtime story. (Picture book. 2-6)Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-316-53601-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes.
A lift-the-flap book gives the littlest trick-or-treaters some practice identifying partygoers under their costumes.
Little Blue Truck and his buddy Toad are off to a party, and they invite readers (and a black cat) along for the ride: “ ‘Beep! Beep! Beep!’ / says Little Blue. / ‘It’s Halloween!’ / You come, too.” As they drive, they are surprised (and joined) by many of their friends in costume. “Who’s that in a tutu / striking a pose / up on the tiniest / tips of her toes? / Under the mask / who do you see?” Lifting the flap unmasks a friend: “ ‘Quack!’ says the duck. / ‘It’s me! It’s me!’ ” The sheep is disguised as a clown, the cow’s a queen, the pig’s a witch, the hen and her chick are pirates, and the horse is a dragon. Not to be left out, Little Blue has a costume, too. The flaps are large and sturdy, and enough of the animals’ characteristic features are visible under and around the costumes that little ones will be able to make successful guesses even on the first reading. Lovely curvy shapes and autumn colors fade to dusky blues as night falls, and children are sure to notice the traditional elements of a Halloween party: apple bobbing, lit jack-o’-lanterns, and punch and treats.
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-544-77253-3
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it.
A succession of animal dads do their best to teach their young to say “Dada” in this picture-book vehicle for Fallon.
A grumpy bull says, “DADA!”; his calf moos back. A sad-looking ram insists, “DADA!”; his lamb baas back. A duck, a bee, a dog, a rabbit, a cat, a mouse, a donkey, a pig, a frog, a rooster, and a horse all fail similarly, spread by spread. A final two-spread sequence finds all of the animals arrayed across the pages, dads on the verso and children on the recto. All the text prior to this point has been either iterations of “Dada” or animal sounds in dialogue bubbles; here, narrative text states, “Now everybody get in line, let’s say it together one more time….” Upon the turn of the page, the animal dads gaze round-eyed as their young across the gutter all cry, “DADA!” (except the duckling, who says, “quack”). Ordóñez's illustrations have a bland, digital look, compositions hardly varying with the characters, although the pastel-colored backgrounds change. The punch line fails from a design standpoint, as the sudden, single-bubble chorus of “DADA” appears to be emanating from background features rather than the baby animals’ mouths (only some of which, on close inspection, appear to be open). It also fails to be funny.
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 9, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-250-00934-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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