While its conceit isn’t entirely successful, this jaunty book brims with positivity, and who can’t use a little more cheer?...
It’s baby’s first metafiction!
Brief introductions to a range of concepts culminate in an enthusiastic shoutout to “readers like you!” Relentlessly enthusiastic, this self-aware book charges through, informing readers about its many snippets of information. Peppy rhyming couplets exclaim that “THIS BOOK has shapes like circles and squares. / And fruit like bananas and apples and pears.” It’s a perky meter, so an abrupt alteration to the rhyme scheme on the last page sounds unexpectedly jarring. Like its narrative, the cartoon illustrations are also resolutely cheery, drawn with brilliant candy-colored hues and a touch of kawaii-like cuteness. Wide, round eyes and enormous grins personify the gamut of concepts, from the “BIG and small” kittens to the vivid paint splotches. A dizzying final page, with all the concepts clustered together in party hats to triumphantly celebrate the book’s readers, epitomizes both its most and least successful elements. There’s an awful lot of energy and heart, but its intent is never completely clear. Its metafictive theme is likely too sophisticated for the intended audience, and with only a smattering of concepts superficially discussed, it’s less a concept book and more a book about concept books.
While its conceit isn’t entirely successful, this jaunty book brims with positivity, and who can’t use a little more cheer? (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: March 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-8075-7881-0
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: June 10, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
An upbeat early book on feelings with a simple storyline that little ones will respond to.
This simplified version of Diesen and Hanna’s The Pout-Pout Fish (2008) is appropriate for babies and toddlers.
Brief, rhyming text tells the story of a sullen fish cheered up with a kiss. A little pink sea creature pokes his head out of a hole in the sea bottom to give the gloomy fish some advice: “Smile, Mr. Fish! / You look so down // With your glum-glum face / And your pout-pout frown.” He explains that there’s no reason to be worried, scared, sad or mad and concludes: “How about a smooch? / And a cheer-up wish? // Now you look happy: / What a smile, Mr. Fish!” Simple and sweet, this tale offers the lesson that sometimes, all that’s needed for a turnaround in mood is some cheer and encouragement to change our perspective. The clean, uncluttered illustrations are kept simple, except for the pout-pout fish’s features, which are delightfully expressive. Little ones will easily recognize and likely try to copy the sad, scared and angry looks that cross the fish’s face.
An upbeat early book on feelings with a simple storyline that little ones will respond to. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-374-37084-8
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
As with many holiday gifts, the sparkly packaging may interest toddlers more than what’s inside.
Readers can count down eight of Santa's reindeer as they jump up and out of the scene.
In each one of the mostly double-page spreads, one reindeer, from Dasher to Blitzen, plays a central role in a winter activity (sledding, ski jumping, ice skating—and soccer and yoga?) that launches the creature into the air. Glitter-speckled tabs, each with small portraits of a member of Santa's herd, appear at either the top or the right side of each page, which little fingers will enjoy flipping. In what looks to be pencil-and-watercolor cartoons, Rogers uses different facial expressions, as well as collars, bows or other accessories, to distinguish the reindeer from one another. Donner (not Donder) and Blitzen are squeezed together on the penultimate spread, likely to keep the page count down. The verse mostly scans, but the rhyme scheme has become the cliché of counting books: "Eight jolly reindeer / stretching up to heaven. / Up goes Dasher / and then there are... // Seven...." Santa, his iconic sleigh and the eight reindeer in flight make a dramatic and required appearance on the book's final double-page spread.
As with many holiday gifts, the sparkly packaging may interest toddlers more than what’s inside. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Aug. 10, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-545-65145-5
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 2, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
