Comfortable.
In his third outing (Room for Bear, 2015; Bear Is Not Tired, 2016), Bear learns to share jam and eat his vegetables.
On a grocery outing with his duck family, Bear first tastes jam (a detail cleverly shown in an illustration before the title page). Bear loves jam so much he forgets to share, eats it at inappropriate times, and, worst of all, refuses to eat anything but jam. Mama Duck decrees no more jam until the vegetables are eaten. Bear goes to bed hungry and his “tummy growled so loudly he couldn’t sleep,” but he still refuses to eat anything but jam. Boy Duck and Girl Duck to the rescue! They invent games that coax Bear into inadvertently eating his vegetables, and contentment reigns again. Gavin’s tranquil watercolor illustrations, rendered in pastel washes, give the story an overall impression of serenity even when Bear is behaving badly. The illustrations are presented in a variety of formats—spot illustrations, double-page spreads, and single-page spreads that blend seamlessly and rarely fail to take advantage of the visual humor inherent in a family of small white ducks with one very large bear. The story’s lessons—share, and eat your vegetables—are delivered painlessly and good-humoredly, and Gavin’s bear and ducks are cute as buttons. (Although the ducks occasionally verge on too cute when they imitate Bear’s antics.) The front and back endpapers add nice details to the narrative.
Comfortable. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Feb. 14, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-399-55179-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2016
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes.
A lift-the-flap book gives the littlest trick-or-treaters some practice identifying partygoers under their costumes.
Little Blue Truck and his buddy Toad are off to a party, and they invite readers (and a black cat) along for the ride: “ ‘Beep! Beep! Beep!’ / says Little Blue. / ‘It’s Halloween!’ / You come, too.” As they drive, they are surprised (and joined) by many of their friends in costume. “Who’s that in a tutu / striking a pose / up on the tiniest / tips of her toes? / Under the mask / who do you see?” Lifting the flap unmasks a friend: “ ‘Quack!’ says the duck. / ‘It’s me! It’s me!’ ” The sheep is disguised as a clown, the cow’s a queen, the pig’s a witch, the hen and her chick are pirates, and the horse is a dragon. Not to be left out, Little Blue has a costume, too. The flaps are large and sturdy, and enough of the animals’ characteristic features are visible under and around the costumes that little ones will be able to make successful guesses even on the first reading. Lovely curvy shapes and autumn colors fade to dusky blues as night falls, and children are sure to notice the traditional elements of a Halloween party: apple bobbing, lit jack-o’-lanterns, and punch and treats.
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-544-77253-3
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
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Innovative and thoroughly enjoyable.
You think you know shapes? Animals? Blend them together, and you might see them both a little differently!
What a mischievous twist on a concept book! With wordplay and a few groan-inducing puns, Neal creates connections among animals and shapes that are both unexpected and so seemingly obvious that readers might wonder why they didn’t see them all along. Of course, a “lazy turtle” meeting an oval would create the side-splitting combo of a “SLOW-VAL.” A dramatic page turn transforms a deeply saturated, clean-lined green oval by superimposing a head and turtle shell atop, with watery blue ripples completing the illusion. Minimal backgrounds and sketchy, impressionistic detailing keep the focus right on the zany animals. Beginning with simple shapes, the geometric forms become more complicated as the book advances, taking readers from a “soaring bird” that meets a triangle to become a “FLY-ANGLE” to a “sleepy lion” nonagon “YAWN-AGON.” Its companion text, Animal Colors, delves into color theory, this time creating entirely hybrid animals, such as the “GREEN WHION” with maned head and whale’s tail made from a “blue whale and a yellow lion.” It’s a compelling way to visualize color mixing, and like Animal Shapes, it’s got verve. Who doesn’t want to shout out that a yellow kangaroo/green moose blend is a “CHARTREUSE KANGAMOOSE”?
Innovative and thoroughly enjoyable. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: March 27, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4998-0534-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
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