Instructive but not preachy—a good model of polite manners and appropriate behavior.
A birthday board book wrapped up with a big, pink polka-dot bow.
Embedded magnets seal with a satisfying click when the bow wraps around the lower half of the book. Within, the titular pigs act as stand-ins for exceedingly well-behaved children. They wear clothes; one has green-rimmed glasses; one has pigtails. Their only porcine features are their pointy ears, pink hides, and snouts. The other partygoers are an assortment of cartoon animals, with Bunny as the guest of honor. Rhyming text describes the party preparations (dressing in party clothes, wrapping presents) and party etiquette: “Three polite piggies greet each friend with care, / and no one plays rough at musical chairs.” When, inevitably, green punch is spilled, “cleaning up is a breeze.” Games are played; they dance, sing “Happy Birthday, dear Bunny” and then, “of course, eat cake!” The bright illustrations add details (pizza and pin the tail on the donkey) not mentioned in the text. Balloons and confetti on almost every page evoke a festive party atmosphere. The book is useful preparation for very young children who may need to know what to expect at a birthday party, or it can also be used to start conversations about party protocol.
Instructive but not preachy—a good model of polite manners and appropriate behavior. (Board book. 1-4)Pub Date: June 15, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-7972-0375-1
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2021
Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come.
Little Blue Truck and his pal Toad meet friends old and new on a springtime drive through the country.
This lift-the-flap, interactive entry in the popular Little Blue Truck series lacks the narrative strength and valuable life lessons of the original Little Blue Truck (2008) and its sequel, Little Blue Truck Leads the Way (2009). Both of those books, published for preschoolers rather than toddlers, featured rich storylines, dramatic, kinetic illustrations, and simple but valuable life lessons—the folly of taking oneself too seriously, the importance of friends, and the virtue of taking turns, for example. At about half the length and with half as much text as the aforementioned titles, this volume is a much quicker read. Less a story than a vernal celebration, the book depicts a bucolic drive through farmland and encounters with various animals and their young along the way. Beautifully rendered two-page tableaux teem with butterflies, blossoms, and vibrant pastel, springtime colors. Little Blue greets a sheep standing in the door of a barn: “Yoo-hoo, Sheep! / Beep-beep! / What’s new?” Folding back the durable, card-stock flap reveals the barn’s interior and an adorable set of twin lambs. Encounters with a duck and nine ducklings, a cow with a calf, a pig with 10 (!) piglets, a family of bunnies, and a chicken with a freshly hatched chick provide ample opportunity for counting and vocabulary work.
Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come. (Board book. 1-4)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-544-93809-0
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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