An exceptional bedtime delight that instruct as it composes restless little ones for slumber.
Lull them to sleep as you teach them to count.
Exquisite artwork and charming baby animals teach children to count from one to 10 while easing them toward sleep. Parents and caregivers may find this a perfect union of engaging, soothing words, images, and numeric instruction. The simple series of beautifully rendered two-page tableaux begins with the transition from day to night: “When the sun goes down, / one moon rises, / two stars come out, / three owlets rest high in the treetops,” and so on. After “ten ducklings tuck beneath a warm wing,” the enticingly somniferous action concludes with the suggestion that “It’s time for all babies to sleep. Good night, babies.” The denouement is a scene of a happy, sleeping brown-skinned baby tucked in and sleeping peacefully. In addition to the owlets, the book features fawns, fox cubs, puppies, kittens, chicks, bunnies, and ducklings. Numbers are indicated in numeric form as well as spelled out in the text. There is an elegant flow to author Walters’ text that is gracefully complemented in the lovely renderings by artist Bisaillon. The images blend cut paper, pastels, watercolors, pencils, and digital imaging to an effect at once striking and soothing.
An exceptional bedtime delight that instruct as it composes restless little ones for slumber. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4598-1073-0
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: Dec. 3, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2018
Perfect for Valentine’s Day, but the syrupy sweetness will cloy after the holiday.
Animal parents declare their love for their offspring in alphabetical order.
Each page displays an enormous capital letter, one line of verse with the keyword capitalized, and a loving nonhuman parent gazing adoringly at their baby. “A is for Always. I always love you more. / B is for Butterfly kisses. It’s you that I adore.” While not named or labelled as such, the A is also for an alligator and its hatchling and B is for a butterfly and a butterfly child (not a caterpillar—biology is not the aim of this title) interacting in some way with the said letter. For E there are an elephant and a calf; U features a unicorn and foal; and X, keyed to the last letter of the animal’s name, corresponds to a fox and three pups. The final double-page spread shows all the featured creatures and their babies as the last line declares: “Baby, I love you from A to Z!” The verse is standard fare and appropriately sentimental. The art is cartoony-cute and populated by suitably loving critters on solid backgrounds. Hearts accent each scene, but the theme of the project is never in any doubt.
Perfect for Valentine’s Day, but the syrupy sweetness will cloy after the holiday. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-7282-2095-6
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2021
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
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