Overall, these durable board books are well-suited to the interests and attention spans of toddlers, who naturally see...
An affirming, upbeat board book compares animal features to those of a diverse group of kiddos.
A simple factual statement about an animal is presented on the verso; a simplified image of that animal printed on a shaped gatefold on the facing page opens to show a smiling child exclaiming, “So do I!” Uncluttered illustrations of an elephant’s “floppy ears,” a bush baby’s “big eyes,” a fox’s “pointy nose,” a crocodile’s “sharp teeth,” and a lizard’s “little fingers and toes” are matched behind the gatefold page by children with the same characteristics. The children are all drawn in the same style, with round heads and prominent eyes, but with various shades of brown skin. Three other books published simultaneously follow the same pattern and design. Feeling Great! attributes human emotions to animals. Who knows whether a chipmunk is “excited” or a camel is “grumpy”? But young children will understand the concept and happily chime in “So do I.” Feeding Time! and On the Go! successfully deal with more-concrete concepts. Toddlers will quickly adopt their refrains of “Me too!” and “Just like me!” Refolding the large, rather heavy gatefold flaps so a toddler can turn the page can be awkward but is a minor concern.
Overall, these durable board books are well-suited to the interests and attention spans of toddlers, who naturally see themselves at the center of the universe. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Aug. 20, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-78628-194-4
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Child's Play
Review Posted Online: Dec. 4, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2019
An upbeat early book on feelings with a simple storyline that little ones will respond to.
This simplified version of Diesen and Hanna’s The Pout-Pout Fish (2008) is appropriate for babies and toddlers.
Brief, rhyming text tells the story of a sullen fish cheered up with a kiss. A little pink sea creature pokes his head out of a hole in the sea bottom to give the gloomy fish some advice: “Smile, Mr. Fish! / You look so down // With your glum-glum face / And your pout-pout frown.” He explains that there’s no reason to be worried, scared, sad or mad and concludes: “How about a smooch? / And a cheer-up wish? // Now you look happy: / What a smile, Mr. Fish!” Simple and sweet, this tale offers the lesson that sometimes, all that’s needed for a turnaround in mood is some cheer and encouragement to change our perspective. The clean, uncluttered illustrations are kept simple, except for the pout-pout fish’s features, which are delightfully expressive. Little ones will easily recognize and likely try to copy the sad, scared and angry looks that cross the fish’s face.
An upbeat early book on feelings with a simple storyline that little ones will respond to. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-374-37084-8
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Not a great choice for the youngest dinosaur lovers.
A board-book ode to parental love as old as the dinosaurs.
A line of text on the left of each spread reads like a dinosaur-themed valentine that a third grader might choose, with punishingly punny wordplay that incorporates dinosaur-related words. On the facing page a dinosaur pair—a baby and an adult—gaze lovingly into each other’s eyes against whimsical, pastel-hued prehistoric-ish backgrounds. In smaller print, in all caps, at the bottom of the left page is the scientific name for the dinosaur referenced by the text and picture followed by a helpful phonetic pronunciation guide. White-outlined footprints appear next to their names, though the white is sometimes difficult to see against the pastel pages. Ten of the best-known dinosaurs are included. Twisting the dinosaur names to fit the loving sentiments succeeds some of the time but more often results in tortured text, well beyond the understanding of the board book audience. The line accompanying two hugging velociraptors, for instance, is just confusing: “Wrap-TOR arms around me, / with you I’ll always stay.” Others are just plain clumsy: “I-wanna-GUANODON you kisses, / I truly just adore you.” Very young children, even those fascinated by dinosaurs, will not get it. Older dinosaur fans will be put off by the babyish format.
Not a great choice for the youngest dinosaur lovers. (Board book. 18 mos.-3)Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-7282-2295-0
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
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