Readers play the “I Spy” game with hidden animals, guessing their identities using only peep-hole glimpses of an eye and a patch of color. The animals provide a single clue ("I have a very long trunk") just before a dramatic page turn that delivers a full-bleed, monochromatic portrait of the mystery creature in its environment. The massive double-spread illustrations, with their commitment to one color and the trick of flipping the hole cut-out so that it meshes with the eye on the previous page to complete the animal, produce solidly satisfying revelatory moments. Lively black line work describes a lion’s unruly mane, an elephant’s wrinkles and a fox’s clever, curled lip. These wonderful, inky loops and tangles add wild-haired authenticity to the watercolor animals, which appear against flat habitat scenes. The spy hole steals the show, however, creating an active reading experience right up until the final page. “What can you spy with your little eye?” Children will surely press the book to their faces, squinting gleefully and listing fixtures in their world: Daddy! bookshelf! pillow! An ingenious use of die-cut technology to complement the fun of such favorites as Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle's Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (Picture book. 2-6)
Pub Date: April 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-7636-5284-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Templar/Candlewick
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2011
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
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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