Uncluttered, concise, and predictable: perfect for toddlers and young preschoolers.
A cow, a pig, a sheep, and chickens seen through a cutout barn door and windows hint at what this simple board book is about.
Turn the thick pages to find four different farm buildings, each housing a different animal. Direct, repetitive text follows the same formula on each spread: “This is a henhouse. But who is inside?” Hints are embedded in the illustration. An overalls-clad school-age kid with pale skin and brown pigtails holds a basket of eggs, and a nesting box is seen outside the henhouse. Smaller text in a speech bubble asks, “What is that noise behind the bucket?” and directs readers to a small flap that hides chicks and the words Cheep! Cheep! That flap is embedded in a larger flap that reveals “It is the hens and their chicks! Say ‘Hello, hens!’ ” The same pattern is followed for cows, pigs, and sheep, with the same key words emphasized by a larger font. Full-page flaps on the final spread reveal all the animals in the barn. The presentation of the same limited facts about just four animals makes this a good choice for the youngest children. Two flaps per spread is just enough for a toddler’s attention span, and the double gatefold at the end is a welcome surprise. This is certain to generate both conversation and choruses of “Old MacDonald Had a Farm.”
Uncluttered, concise, and predictable: perfect for toddlers and young preschoolers. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-68010-659-6
Page Count: 10
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Leave the hopping to Peter Cottontail and sing the original song instead.
An Easter-themed board-book parody of the traditional nursery rhyme.
Unfortunately, this effort is just as sugary and uninspired as The Itsy Bitsy Snowman, offered by the same pair in 2015. A cheerful white bunny hops through a pastel world to distribute candy and treats for Easter but spills his baskets. A hedgehog, fox, mouse, and various birds come to the bunny’s rescue, retrieving the candy, helping to devise a distribution plan, and hiding the eggs. Then magically, they all fly off in a hot air balloon as the little animals in the village emerge to find the treats. Without any apparent purpose, the type changes color to highlight some words. For very young children every word is new, so highlighting “tiny tail” or “friends” makes no sense. Although the text is meant to be sung, the words don't quite fit the rhythm of the original song. Moreover, there are not clear motions to accompany the text; without the fingerplay movements, this book has none of the satisfying verve of the traditional version.
Leave the hopping to Peter Cottontail and sing the original song instead. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-5621-0
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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