Adds little to the concept-book shelf.
This introduction to shapes includes a geometric die-cut hole on every page.
The interplay between cutouts results in transformations with every turn of the page. A circle is a hot air balloon on the recto, and on the verso it is transformed into a carriage (complete with white fairy godmother). The brightly colored digital art is accompanied by a one-word caption naming the shape on each page as youngsters meet squares, rectangles, ovals, and diamonds. Many of the images are harmless enough, but the depiction of a tepee with two youngsters dressed in stereotypical Plains Indians’ garb and sitting “Indian style” is quite troubling. Companion title 1 2 3 also utilizes die-cut holes. Pages count up from one to 10, showing four candles, five balloons, six moles, and so on. One small, circular die-cut hole appears on every page in addition to other, often larger ones, but it is not clear why. Often this round hole is incorporated into the art, but on several spreads it is not; why, for instance, does it float above two pencils and four candles, respectively?
Adds little to the concept-book shelf. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: July 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4998-0294-8
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
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
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