While there are some enjoyable moments here, the overbusy design mars the entire effect.
Count a variety of animals and objects both above and below nearly full-size flaps on each page.
“ONE big doghouse—who could be inside?” Under the flap, the workmanlike text reads: “ONE smiley dog, trying to hide!” Die-cut holes offer readers a peek of what is underneath, but these glimpses are rarely a help to would-be guessers. While the cheery cartoons present the world in muted tones, the page design is very busy, and there is no unity of image or idea across double-page spreads. The book continues the pattern of counting and rhyming until the last double-page spread, where a teddy bear encourages readers to count a multitude of objects arrayed in vertical lines. Companion title Red, Blue, Peekaboo! presents the colors in similar fashion. Above the flap, items of one featured hue are joined by other objects in the shade below (purple hat/umbrella and blue shell/whale). In both books, most of the objects and animals will be easily recognizable to tykes, and each page is labeled with the color or numeral in question. The flaps, which alternate between opening from the bottom or from the top, are sturdy enough for repeat use.
While there are some enjoyable moments here, the overbusy design mars the entire effect. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: March 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-58925-581-4
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
Perfect for Valentine’s Day, but the syrupy sweetness will cloy after the holiday.
Animal parents declare their love for their offspring in alphabetical order.
Each page displays an enormous capital letter, one line of verse with the keyword capitalized, and a loving nonhuman parent gazing adoringly at their baby. “A is for Always. I always love you more. / B is for Butterfly kisses. It’s you that I adore.” While not named or labelled as such, the A is also for an alligator and its hatchling and B is for a butterfly and a butterfly child (not a caterpillar—biology is not the aim of this title) interacting in some way with the said letter. For E there are an elephant and a calf; U features a unicorn and foal; and X, keyed to the last letter of the animal’s name, corresponds to a fox and three pups. The final double-page spread shows all the featured creatures and their babies as the last line declares: “Baby, I love you from A to Z!” The verse is standard fare and appropriately sentimental. The art is cartoony-cute and populated by suitably loving critters on solid backgrounds. Hearts accent each scene, but the theme of the project is never in any doubt.
Perfect for Valentine’s Day, but the syrupy sweetness will cloy after the holiday. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-7282-2095-6
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2021
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
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