A simple and beautiful introduction to animals that make their homes in snowy climes.
Anderson’s square, sturdy board book features baby animals romping, playing and snoozing in the snow.
Each page spread features a group of animals against a wintry landscape, while a single brief sentence identifies them and describes what they are up to. “Roly-poly polar bear cubs play. / Reindeer fawns leap. / Baby beaver kits build.” Readers also meet arctic fox cubs, arctic hare bunnies, husky puppies, penguin chicks and snowy owl chicks. All these baby animals are busy enjoying the day, but when night falls, “Wolf cubs howl at the moon. / Baby harp seal pups snuggle. / And baby panda cubs snooze.” The concept here is simple. It’s the illustrations that make this one shine. The hues and shades of Anderson’s palette convey a chilly atmosphere that is neither bleak nor sterile but alive with color and cheer. Blues, yellows, reds, greens and purples all find their ways into this wintry world. And the adorable animals all seem to be enjoying themselves tremendously, from the arctic bunnies bounding high into the sky, heads and ears thrown back with joy, to sleeping panda cubs piled into a happy heap.
A simple and beautiful introduction to animals that make their homes in snowy climes. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-907152-23-8
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Boxer Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2015
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BOOK REVIEW
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
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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