A pleasant-enough offering that would have been improved by elimination of the gimmick.
A simple retelling of the Nativity story with tactile elements embedded on each spread.
In the five double-page scenes, Mary and Joseph travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem, angels visit the shepherds, and the Magi come from afar. The cartoons, which look to be acrylic paintings in rich jewel tones, are cheery, and the prose is straightforward and just enough for the youngest audience. Each page holds one touch-and-feel feature, dubbed a “finger-trail,” which is created by cutting out the top portion of the page to make an indentation and reveal a layer of patterned paper underneath. Through them, readers are encouraged to “feel” the flight path of angels and the foot trails of shepherds and Magi. However, the gimmick is unevenly presented. On the first page, the finger-trail feature is incomplete, since not all of the donkey’s hoof prints marking Mary and Joseph’s journey are cut away, and the finger-trail on the final double-page spread, which is meant to lead little fingers to the gifts of the three Magi, merely traces the outlines of their backs.
A pleasant-enough offering that would have been improved by elimination of the gimmick. (Board book. 18 mos.-3)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-7459-6241-2
Page Count: 10
Publisher: Trafalgar Square
Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2013
Blandly pleasant; entirely skippable.
Precious, nursery-style animals and plants decorate the pages of five classic religious adages.
In this hodgepodge collection, Magsamen illustrates childhood prayers with her traditional faux quilting style, featuring candy-colored pastel tones, too-sentimental cartoon animals, and grinning suns, moons, and flowers. There’s a strong heart theme throughout, with a heart-shaped nose on a lamb and similarly shaped birds’ wings. It’s cute but almost entirely generic. Some of the traditional sayings, such as “God made the sun,” are re-created verbatim; others are expanded or altered, as when “I see the moon and the moon sees me” receives additional lines about kissing “nighty-night.” None of these additions adds much to the original, and most have a meter that sounds just a little off. The poems are written in thin, hand-written white letters that don’t always have enough contrast to be seen easily against the background, and the occasional colorfully highlighted and patterned words cramp the page. The simultaneously publishing ’Twas the Night Before Christmas! is purely derivative, with alterations that drastically truncate and remove all the character of the original poem. It reads aloud poorly, particularly to ears accustomed to the original. Both share a tall, narrow trim size that is somewhat unwieldy to hold with a child in the lap.
Blandly pleasant; entirely skippable. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Dec. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-35981-7
Page Count: 10
Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Satisfactory text; irresistibly delightful illustrations.
A bedtime-prayer board book features a family of badgers.
Speaking in a gentle rhyme, the badgers ask for God’s blessings for family and friends and offer gratitude for the gifts of the natural world. Temple’s stanzas have a lullaby lilt to them, with a cadence that remains consistent throughout. With the exception of the first and last stanzas, which are voiced by the older badgers, the little badger relates the text. The accompanying images show the little badger remembering how much there is to be thankful for, from loved ones like grandparents to the moon and stars. It’s Braun’s illustrations that truly speak to little readers. The badger family is adorable; the softness and simplicity of their features are charming. The same is true of the other woodland creatures and animals. A wintry scene stands out from the rest thanks to the feelings of frostiness and wonder it evokes. There’s the little badger wrapped in a red scarf, nose to the sky, and a tiny mouse leaning on a walking stick, the soft snow floating down around them. Other details, like a lemonade bottle tucked in a picnic basket and a toy boat with a leaf sail, add depth and interest to the scenes.
Satisfactory text; irresistibly delightful illustrations. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-68010-632-9
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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