bookshelf

CHOO! CHOO!

Name: CHOO! CHOO!
Author: Child's Play
ISBN: 978-1-84643-746-5

GUESS THE VEHICLE!

From the What's That Noise? series

by Child's Play ; illustrated by Cocoretto ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2015

Cute but not exciting! (Board book. 1-3)

bookshelf

An abundance of exclamation points helps to define this British import and its companions.

Upon first examination, the question posed by the four titles in the series—“What's that noise?”—seems like a winner. Sounds are an easy way to entertain babies who are not yet talking. Cute cartoon animals on each facing flap and an attractive graphic design that merges perfectly with the hidden page it conceals give clues to what will be revealed when the flap is opened. Large, full-page flaps and a wavy edge make for easy manipulation by little fingers. The problem for many American families is the British-specific vocabulary. Is “Dugga! Dugga! Dugga!” really the sound of a backhoe (labeled “Digger!”)? American families reading companion title Tap! Tap! Guess the Toy! will be startled to see a little raccoon playing with “Bricks!” (which alert parents will just call “blocks”), and few American parents will be able to keep a straight face when asked to call a car horn a “Hooter!” Toot! Toot! Guess the Instrument! is the best in the series, with clear images and universal sounds. In the fourth title in the series, Snap! Snap! Guess the Animal!, the animal characters that ask, “What’s that noise?” seem to have been chosen for cuteness, not because of any relation to the hidden creatures.

Cute but not exciting! (Board book. 1-3)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2015

ISBN: 978-1-84643-746-5

Page Count: 12

Publisher: Child's Play

Review Posted Online: Oct. 18, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS

- BOOK REVIEW
WINTER
by Child's Play ; illustrated by Ailie Busby

- BOOK REVIEW
THE WHEELS ON THE BUS—ASL
by Child's Play ; illustrated by Anthony Lewis

bookshelf

SMILE, POUT-POUT FISH

by Deborah Diesen ; illustrated by Dan Hanna ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 7, 2014

An upbeat early book on feelings with a simple storyline that little ones will respond to.

bookshelf

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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
THE WORRY-WORRY WHALE AND THE CLASSROOM JITTERS
by Deborah Diesen ; illustrated by Dan Hanna

- BOOK REVIEW
POUT-POUT FISH
by Deborah Diesen ; illustrated by Dan Hanna

- BOOK REVIEW
THE POUT-POUT FISH AND THE MAD, MAD DAY
by Deborah Diesen ; illustrated by Dan Hanna

bookshelf

ALL ABOUT ME

From the Look & Learn series

by National Geographic ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 11, 2014

Clear nonfiction for the very young is hard to come by, and it appears that the Look & Learn series may finally be on...

bookshelf

An exploration of the human body through colorful photos.

Every other double-page spread labels the individual parts on one major area: head, torso, back, arm and leg. Ethnically diverse boy-girl pairs serve as models as arrows point to specific features and captions float nearby. While the book usefully mentions rarely depicted body parts, such as eyebrow, armpit and shin, some of the directional arrows are unclear. The arrow pointing at a girl’s shoulder hits her in the upper arm, and the belly button is hard is distinguish from the stomach (both are concealed by shirts). Facts about the human body (“Guess what? You have tiny hairs in your nose that keep out dirt”) appear on alternating spreads along with photos of kids in action. Baby Animals, another title in the Look & Learn series, uses an identical format to introduce readers to seal pups, leopard cubs, elephant calves, ducklings and tadpoles. In both titles, the final spread offers a review of the information and encourages readers to match baby animals to their parents or find body parts on a photo of kids jumping on a trampoline.

Clear nonfiction for the very young is hard to come by, and it appears that the Look & Learn series may finally be on the right track despite earlier titles that were much too conceptual for the audience. (Board book. 18 mos.-3)