With its companions, a sweet and cheery introduction to the seasons for the youngest readers.
A group of toddlers and their pup enjoy the change of seasons playing in a park.
Readers were introduced to this group of toddlers—one black, one brown, one olive-skinned, and one white—and their dog in Autumn Babies and Winter Babies (both 2018). The series concludes as the toddlers continue to enjoy the park in spring and, in the companion title, summer. In spring, the lollipop-shaped trees in the park sport vibrant shades of green and bright fuchsia. “Rain drops. / Dandelions glow. // Puddles splash. / Clouds blow.” And the babies “crawl,” “wiggle,” “scamper,” and “giggle.” As cute yellow-and-white birds sing, a baby peeks from behind a tree, a duck family swims in the pond, and the dog sleeps. The book concludes as a baby peeks out from a lush crop of dandelions: “It’s spring!” In summertime, the trees acquire warm tones of yellow, and “Sun shines. / Clover blooms. // Butterflies flutter. / Bees zoom.” And the babies “wade,” “hide” in the tall grass, “swing,” “slide,” and “clap.” Following the same format as in the previous books, the outing concludes with an enthusiastic “It’s summer!”
With its companions, a sweet and cheery introduction to the seasons for the youngest readers. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: March 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-68263-068-6
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: Jan. 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
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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
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
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BOOK REVIEW
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