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
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
The small size, a predictable winter adventure, and Boynton’s very toddlerlike character make this a fine stocking stuffer...
Seven years after Little Pookie (2011) first appeared, this popular piglet is finally celebrating Christmas.
“Oh Pookie! Come look! It’s beginning to snow,” says a maternal-looking pig. But where did Pookie go? Past the Christmas tree, to put on a snowsuit of course. Pookie’s ever cheerful mama is willing to go out too. After all, “It’s a magical time to be walking with you.” When she observes, “Our noses are frozen. It’s time to go in,” Pookie protests in typical toddler style: “But I’m not c-c-c-cold!” The next three pages highlight indoor holiday preparations—making paper garlands, baking and decorating cookies. The rhyming text mirrors the spare illustrations. A spidery type that emulates handwriting makes it clear when Pookie is speaking. Then “the doorbell is ringing. / Our family and friends have arrived for the singing.” The second-to-last spread shows Pookie, mama, and six other pigs—and Boynton’s requisite chicken—singing (“Con brio”), “MER-RY CHRIST-MAS! MER-RY CHRIST-MAS! AND A HAP-PY NEW YEAR!” Conveniently, this text is placed beneath the musical notation. Finally Pookie hangs a stocking and goes off to bed without any fuss, anticipating presents on Christmas morning.
The small size, a predictable winter adventure, and Boynton’s very toddlerlike character make this a fine stocking stuffer or an ideal Christmas Eve read to share with other little piggies. (Board book. 18 mos.-3)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5344-3724-1
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 15, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2019
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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