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OCEAN COUNTING

Name: OCEAN COUNTING
Author: Janet Lawler
ISBN: 978-1-4263-1116-1

by Janet Lawler ; photographed by Brian Skerry ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 14, 2013

A great counting and learning combination.

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Gorgeous photographs and straightforward counting offer preschoolers a few facts about some ocean animals.

As is to be expected for a National Geographic title, Skerry’s photographs take center stage. Each double-page spread is filled completely with a close-up of the featured species in its natural environment, capturing a small slice of life and hooking readers. From the photo of the hammerhead sharks, seen in shadow from underneath, to the brilliantly colored glass eye fish that “dart and dip” such that the picture’s background shows a slight blur, each page turn surprises. Young readers will be fascinated by the mix of mammals, fish and invertebrates—a green sea turtle, Bermuda sea chub, harp seals, star-eyed parrotfish, Caribbean reef squid, Adélie penguins, sea otters—that represent a wide range of marine environments. The brightly colored numerals in the corners are prominent, while a brief paragraph tells about each of the 10 different marine species, giving basic facts and frequently drawing readers in with a question. “Five arms on this pink sea star bend and flex. Tube-like suckers underneath these arms hold the sea star in place. What else do the suckers do? They grab food and help the sea star move.” “Did you know” boxes provide one other tidbit. Backmatter includes more counting practice, facts about each species (home, size, food, predators, young), a map, glossary and list of resources.

A great counting and learning combination. (Informational picture book. 3-5)

Pub Date: May 14, 2013

ISBN: 978-1-4263-1116-1

Page Count: 48

Publisher: National Geographic

Review Posted Online: March 19, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2013

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS

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CHICKA CHICKA HO HO HO

From the Chicka Chicka Book series

by William Boniface ; illustrated by Julien Chung ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2024

A successful swap from coconut tree to Christmas tree.

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A Christmas edition of the beloved alphabet book.

The story starts off nearly identically to Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (1989), written by John Archambault and the late Bill Martin Jr, with the letters A, B, and C deciding to meet in the branches of a tree. This time, they’re attempting to scale a Christmas tree, not a coconut tree, and the letters are strung together like garland. A, B, and C are joined by the other letters, and of course they all “slip, slop, topple, plop!” right down the tree. At the bottom, they discover an assortment of gifts, all in a variety of shapes. As a team, the letters and presents organize themselves to get back up on the Christmas tree and get a star to the top. Holiday iterations of favorite tales often fall flat, but this take succeeds. The gifts are an easy way to reinforce another preschool concept—shapes—and the text uses just enough of the original to be familiar. The rhyming works, sticking to the cadence of the source material. The illustrations pay homage to the late Lois Ehlert’s, featuring the same bold block letters, though they lack some of the whimsy and personality of the original. Otherwise, everything is similarly brightly colored and simply drawn. Those familiar with the classic will be drawn to this one, but newcomers can enjoy it on its own.

A successful swap from coconut tree to Christmas tree. (Picture book. 3-5)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024

ISBN: 9781665954761

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: July 4, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2024

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS

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YOUR BABY'S FIRST WORD WILL BE DADA

by Jimmy Fallon ; illustrated by Miguel Ordóñez ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 9, 2015

Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it.

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A succession of animal dads do their best to teach their young to say “Dada” in this picture-book vehicle for Fallon.

A grumpy bull says, “DADA!”; his calf moos back. A sad-looking ram insists, “DADA!”; his lamb baas back. A duck, a bee, a dog, a rabbit, a cat, a mouse, a donkey, a pig, a frog, a rooster, and a horse all fail similarly, spread by spread. A final two-spread sequence finds all of the animals arrayed across the pages, dads on the verso and children on the recto. All the text prior to this point has been either iterations of “Dada” or animal sounds in dialogue bubbles; here, narrative text states, “Now everybody get in line, let’s say it together one more time….” Upon the turn of the page, the animal dads gaze round-eyed as their young across the gutter all cry, “DADA!” (except the duckling, who says, “quack”). Ordóñez's illustrations have a bland, digital look, compositions hardly varying with the characters, although the pastel-colored backgrounds change. The punch line fails from a design standpoint, as the sudden, single-bubble chorus of “DADA” appears to be emanating from background features rather than the baby animals’ mouths (only some of which, on close inspection, appear to be open). It also fails to be funny.

Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it. (Picture book. 3-5)