For kids and parents who run, in strollers or otherwise, this hits the right notes.
The sounds of a mother running lull a toddler to sleep in this rhyming picture book.
Baby Henry’s mother loves to run. She straps Henry into his stroller and off they go, through the neighborhood, downtown, and to a park. Henry eventually dozes off; when he wakes, they’re almost home. Now, Henry’s mom feels like she needs a nap, but he is ready to be off and running. With the exception of the first page, the verse scans beautifully, always rhyming with the same “pitterpat, pitterpat” sound of the mother’s running feet, encouraging lap readers to chime in on the refrain. The sights and sounds of this stroller run are described in a lovingly familiar way that suburban readers will immediately recognize. Mack’s watercolor illustrations add details unmentioned in the text—over the course of the run, Henry loses both his hat and a sock—that are sure to entertain children and resonate with parents. Mack ably captures both Henry’s energy and his sleepy demeanor. Although the cast is predominantly light-skinned, the people along Henry’s run come in different sizes, shapes, and ages, all friendly to a tyke in a moving stroller. Psychologist Lonczak offers no heavy-handed message in this celebration of togetherness: Henry loves being with his mom and seeing the world from his stroller, where he feels comfortable and safe enough to snooze.
For kids and parents who run, in strollers or otherwise, this hits the right notes.Pub Date: June 12, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-9786093-2-0
Page Count: 28
Publisher: IngramSpark
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
PERSPECTIVES
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
The combination of lovingly humorous and detailed mixed-media illustrations and infectious rhymes will cause little ones and...
More than skin deep, this rhyming paean to diversity offers readers an array of families of all colors and orientations, living and loving one another in a vibrant city setting.
A giggling baby is tummy-tickled by her white and black mothers (or white mother and black father—impressively, the illustration leaves room for interpretation) in New York’s Central Park in its summertime glory. "This is how we all begin: / small and happy in our skin." This celebration of skin not only extols the beauty and value of various skin colors, but also teaches the importance of skin as an essential body part: “It keeps the outsides out / and your insides in.” Park, public-pool, and block-party scenes allow readers to luxuriate in a teeming city where children of all colors, abilities, and religions enjoy their families and neighbors. The author and illustrator do not simply take a rote, tokenistic approach to answering the cry for diverse books; the words and pictures depict a much-needed, realistic representation of the statement “it takes a village to raise a child” when a child skins her knee and many rush to her aid and comfort. Though her palette of browns is a little limited, Tobia creates sheer joy with her depictions of everything from unibrows, dimples, and birthmarks to callouts to recognizable literary characters.
The combination of lovingly humorous and detailed mixed-media illustrations and infectious rhymes will cause little ones and their families to pore over this book again and again. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7636-7002-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 11, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2015
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