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RAINDROPS FALL ALL AROUND

Name: RAINDROPS FALL ALL AROUND
Author: Charles Ghigna
ISBN: 978-1-4795-6042-4

From the Springtime Weather Wonders series

by Charles Ghigna ; illustrated by Laura Watson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 2015

Skip.

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Spring rains fall on a variety of happy animals in this rhyming board book.

Rhyming text that doesn't mesh with the pictures makes this a disappointing outing. Mostly the rhymes work but sometimes at the expense of scansion: some lines have seven syllables and some have eight, so the rhythm doesn’t always flow. The presentation of ideas seems mostly to be made in service of the rhyming couplets rather than meaningful internal relationships. For example, with “A flowing creek fills up with rain / Rain seeps down into the drain,” the juxtaposition of a creek and a drain simply does not make sense. More significantly, the rhyming text is mismatched with the greeting-card illustrations. Individually, the illustrations are cute, but there is no continuity. The pictures that work best parallel the text, but when an animal is not specifically named, the choices seem arbitrary if not downright peculiar: the smiling, rain-soaked cats seem especially unlikely. This book and its companion titles (Hail to Spring, Sunshine Brightens Springtime, and A Windy Day in Spring) are certainly cheerful, but they are also forgettable.

Skip. (Board book. 2-3)

Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2015

ISBN: 978-1-4795-6042-4

Page Count: 20

Publisher: Picture Window Books

Review Posted Online: March 10, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2015

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

- BOOK REVIEW
THE FATHER GOOSE TREASURY OF POETRY
by Charles Ghigna ; illustrated by Sara Brezzi

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE HEARTS
by Charles Ghigna ; illustrated by Jacqueline East

- BOOK REVIEW
FETCH, CAT. FETCH!
by Charles Ghigna ; illustrated by Michelle Hazelwood Hyde

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THE LITTLE RECYCLER

by Jan Gerardi ; illustrated by Jan Gerardi ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 22, 2013

A well-meant miss.

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A little boy takes an active role in recycling and reusing in this lift-the-flap tale.

The boy, along with a couple of young friends, demonstrates cleaning and sorting recyclables, donating unwanted clothes and toys, and reusing other materials for various projects. While this is a noble effort, the rhyming text, which appears on the outside of and under each flap, does not scan well: “Clink, clink, clink. Into each bin– / BOTTLES, / PAPER, / PLASTIC, / TIN.” Some of the concepts above and below each flap have a clear relationship to one another: A large cardboard box is empty above the flap and reused as a toy boat below the flap. Other concepts do not connect quite as well: The plastic (above the flap) and “tin” cans (under the flap) look to be going into the same bin, but the next page shows them carefully sorted into their own separate bins. The cover may also confuse little ones, and a few grown-ups too, since it mostly shows materials to be reused (toys and clothes to be donated), not recycled. The flat, friendly and soft-hued cartoons look to be a mix of digital art over collaged backgrounds of reused materials. Other titles in the Teenie Greenies series, which are printed on recycled paper with soy ink, tackle gardening, composting and transportation alternatives with greater clarity.

A well-meant miss. (Board book. 2-3)

Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2013

ISBN: 978-0-375-86172-7

Page Count: 16

Publisher: Random House

Review Posted Online: April 9, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2013

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

- BOOK REVIEW
BLAST FROM THE NORTH
by David Zeltser ; illustrated by Jan Gerardi

- BOOK REVIEW
THE LITTLE GARDENER
by Jan Gerardi & illustrated by Jan Gerardi

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ELEPHANTS SPRAY

From the Amazing Changing Pictures series

by Rebecca Glaser ; illustrated by Rebecca Glaser ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 15, 2016

Little animal lovers will enjoy gazing at the photographs while learning a little bit about these creatures' real lives and...

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This brief photographic nonfiction offering introduces little ones to the many uses of an elephant’s trunk.

An elephant’s strong trunk can do many amazing things, including smelling, carrying food to its mouth, drinking, spraying water, and hugging friends. The stock photos used to illustrate these actions, while they vary in quality from the ordinary to the striking, will in all likelihood succeed in catching the attention of curious toddlers and preschoolers. A light pink column occupies the right- or left-hand border of each double-page spread, displaying the text in white print, a color choice that doesn’t provide enough contrast with the background for easy reading. The syntax and vocabulary, though, are kept simple and appropriate for toddlers and preschoolers: “Sniff, sniff! He smells food,” for example, and “Munch, munch! Here’s a tasty lunch.” Other, very similar titles in the series include Monkeys Swing, Giraffes Stretch, Penguins Waddle, Lions Roar, and Dolphins Play. All of them feature photographic images and simple text that showcase the animals in action.

Little animal lovers will enjoy gazing at the photographs while learning a little bit about these creatures' real lives and behaviors. (Board book. 2-3)