Engaging fun with a well-disguised bonus lesson on colors.
This fresh take on the traditional nursery rhyme aims to teach colors to toddlers.
Childlike illustrations with chalked backgrounds provide clues to the action and give little learners much to talk about. The first spread presents a spare winter scene with a cartoon sheep following a backpack-clad Mary, presumably on the way to school, presented in profile. The child seems to be looking back at the sheep. The sheep’s only line is “Baaa!” On the next spread, the sheep gives the side-eye to an orange tiger that exclaims, “Raar! Raaar! Raaaar!” while Mary marches confidently on. This pattern continues for a pink hippo, a red monkey, three blue bears, a purple mouse, a green crocodile, and a yellow giraffe. Each animal comes with their own vocalization or sound effect. The spreads grow more and more crowded and raucous until finally they all board a double-decker bus. (Mary is driving.) The text reads, “Now everywhere that Mary went, this colorful crew was there.” Surprise, they’re going to the park. “For Mary had packed the very best lunch… / just big enough to share.” There’s no telling how this feast—cake, an enormous submarine sandwich, hot dogs, drinks with swirly straws, fruit, doughnuts, even a piece of cheese for the mouse—ever fit in that one backpack, but that’s all of a piece with the overall whimsy. Companion title This Little Piggy takes on the numbers from one to 10.
Engaging fun with a well-disguised bonus lesson on colors. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5362-1111-5
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes.
A lift-the-flap book gives the littlest trick-or-treaters some practice identifying partygoers under their costumes.
Little Blue Truck and his buddy Toad are off to a party, and they invite readers (and a black cat) along for the ride: “ ‘Beep! Beep! Beep!’ / says Little Blue. / ‘It’s Halloween!’ / You come, too.” As they drive, they are surprised (and joined) by many of their friends in costume. “Who’s that in a tutu / striking a pose / up on the tiniest / tips of her toes? / Under the mask / who do you see?” Lifting the flap unmasks a friend: “ ‘Quack!’ says the duck. / ‘It’s me! It’s me!’ ” The sheep is disguised as a clown, the cow’s a queen, the pig’s a witch, the hen and her chick are pirates, and the horse is a dragon. Not to be left out, Little Blue has a costume, too. The flaps are large and sturdy, and enough of the animals’ characteristic features are visible under and around the costumes that little ones will be able to make successful guesses even on the first reading. Lovely curvy shapes and autumn colors fade to dusky blues as night falls, and children are sure to notice the traditional elements of a Halloween party: apple bobbing, lit jack-o’-lanterns, and punch and treats.
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-544-77253-3
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
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Innovative and thoroughly enjoyable.
You think you know shapes? Animals? Blend them together, and you might see them both a little differently!
What a mischievous twist on a concept book! With wordplay and a few groan-inducing puns, Neal creates connections among animals and shapes that are both unexpected and so seemingly obvious that readers might wonder why they didn’t see them all along. Of course, a “lazy turtle” meeting an oval would create the side-splitting combo of a “SLOW-VAL.” A dramatic page turn transforms a deeply saturated, clean-lined green oval by superimposing a head and turtle shell atop, with watery blue ripples completing the illusion. Minimal backgrounds and sketchy, impressionistic detailing keep the focus right on the zany animals. Beginning with simple shapes, the geometric forms become more complicated as the book advances, taking readers from a “soaring bird” that meets a triangle to become a “FLY-ANGLE” to a “sleepy lion” nonagon “YAWN-AGON.” Its companion text, Animal Colors, delves into color theory, this time creating entirely hybrid animals, such as the “GREEN WHION” with maned head and whale’s tail made from a “blue whale and a yellow lion.” It’s a compelling way to visualize color mixing, and like Animal Shapes, it’s got verve. Who doesn’t want to shout out that a yellow kangaroo/green moose blend is a “CHARTREUSE KANGAMOOSE”?
Innovative and thoroughly enjoyable. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: March 27, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4998-0534-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
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