A cute, varied exercise in counting sheep that makes for a perfect bedtime read for very young readers.
In this debut counting book from author Young and illustrator Popovic, a group of fluffy sheep enjoy daily activities before falling asleep.
Twelve sheep, each labeled with a colored numeral, perform rhyming tasks: One, two, and three dance; four, five, and six prance, and others hop or plop onto the ground. Following a purple arrow, six sheep go up a hill; following a red one, six more slide down. Then all 12 eat a snack before heading off to bed: “Nine sheep, ten sheep snuggle deep. / Eleven sheep, twelve sheep fast asleep.” The digitally illustrated, full-color sheep are each similar in design and basically interchangeable except for their numerals, but they feature a range of facial expressions. The number words in the text (“Seven sheep, eight sheep, nine sheep hop”) are the same color as the numerals on the sheep, which will help young readers to connect the concepts. Overall, Young’s rhyming text flows very well, switching rhythmic patterns to feel active at the start and soothing at the end. Some intriguing word choices may be unfamiliar to lap-readers (“prance,” “Blankets Drawn”), but they’re easily understandable in context.
A cute, varied exercise in counting sheep that makes for a perfect bedtime read for very young readers.Pub Date: May 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-73394-414-4
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Top & Ample
Review Posted Online: Nov. 16, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A nice but not requisite purchase.
A retelling of the classic fairy tale in board-book format and with a Mexican setting.
Though simplified for a younger audience, the text still relates the well-known tale: mean-spirited stepmother, spoiled stepsisters, overworked Cinderella, fairy godmother, glass slipper, charming prince, and, of course, happily-ever-after. What gives this book its flavor is the artwork. Within its Mexican setting, the characters are olive-skinned and dark-haired. Cultural references abound, as when a messenger comes carrying a banner announcing a “FIESTA” in beautiful papel picado. Cinderella is the picture of beauty, with her hair up in ribbons and flowers and her typically Mexican many-layered white dress. The companion volume, Snow White, set in Japan and illustrated by Misa Saburi, follows the same format. The simplified text tells the story of the beautiful princess sent to the forest by her wicked stepmother to be “done away with,” the dwarves that take her in, and, eventually, the happily-ever-after ending. Here too, what gives the book its flavor is the artwork. The characters wear traditional clothing, and the dwarves’ house has the requisite shoji screens, tatami mats and cherry blossoms in the garden. The puzzling question is, why the board-book presentation? Though the text is simplified, it’s still beyond the board-book audience, and the illustrations deserve full-size books.
A nice but not requisite purchase. (Board book/fairy tale. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-7915-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
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