It's a cute idea and an obvious choice for a nice Mother’s or Father’s Day present for new parents, but neither title is...
Dads are given gold stars by their young.
Fathers and all the great things they do are at the center of this board book. Each double-page spread features an anthropomorphic animal giving its father a gold star. Each illustration is narrated in a rhyming couplet from the point of view of the child. For example, "Daddy Cheetah, you're so fast—Hooray! You won the race! / Here's a star to celebrate your super-speedy pace!" The illustrations are composed with the round figures and deep colors Galloway specializes in. Each spread incorporates a die-cut star that’s immediately under and a little smaller than the one in the previous spread, making a progressively recessed tactile feature. The fixed placement of the cutout makes it a little difficult to decode exactly who is giving whom the star; although the text indicates that the child penguin is giving Daddy Penguin a sweater with a star on it, it looks as though the exchange might be going in the opposite direction. A similar title, I Love My Mommy, is concurrently published and features similar scenarios in which moms get similarly die-cut flowers from their kids instead of stars.
It's a cute idea and an obvious choice for a nice Mother’s or Father’s Day present for new parents, but neither title is memorable enough to become a storytime staple . (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: March 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-58925-217-2
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
The small size, a predictable winter adventure, and Boynton’s very toddlerlike character make this a fine stocking stuffer...
Seven years after Little Pookie (2011) first appeared, this popular piglet is finally celebrating Christmas.
“Oh Pookie! Come look! It’s beginning to snow,” says a maternal-looking pig. But where did Pookie go? Past the Christmas tree, to put on a snowsuit of course. Pookie’s ever cheerful mama is willing to go out too. After all, “It’s a magical time to be walking with you.” When she observes, “Our noses are frozen. It’s time to go in,” Pookie protests in typical toddler style: “But I’m not c-c-c-cold!” The next three pages highlight indoor holiday preparations—making paper garlands, baking and decorating cookies. The rhyming text mirrors the spare illustrations. A spidery type that emulates handwriting makes it clear when Pookie is speaking. Then “the doorbell is ringing. / Our family and friends have arrived for the singing.” The second-to-last spread shows Pookie, mama, and six other pigs—and Boynton’s requisite chicken—singing (“Con brio”), “MER-RY CHRIST-MAS! MER-RY CHRIST-MAS! AND A HAP-PY NEW YEAR!” Conveniently, this text is placed beneath the musical notation. Finally Pookie hangs a stocking and goes off to bed without any fuss, anticipating presents on Christmas morning.
The small size, a predictable winter adventure, and Boynton’s very toddlerlike character make this a fine stocking stuffer or an ideal Christmas Eve read to share with other little piggies. (Board book. 18 mos.-3)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5344-3724-1
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 15, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2019
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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BOOK REVIEW
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