A flavorsome option to develop tactile and associative memory skills in small children.
In this second installment of the Made With Love series, golden brown donuts, fresh out of the oven, are dressed with different toppings.
Each circular page of the book shows a different donut as seen from a bird’s-eye view, and little ones are invited to guess the flavor of each topping. Simple, one-sentence hints in a chocolate-brown font on the verso page offer clues such as “this flavor begins as tree sap!” and “the next one contains citrus and tiny seeds.” Visual cues on the pastries offer hints as well: a blueberry-glazed donut is decorated with berries; a maple-glazed donut is adorned with small maple leaves; and a lemon poppy seed–glazed donut is adorned with poppy seeds as well as a lemon wedge. Little ones must turn the donut-shaped pages to reveal the name of the flavor. The pattern continues until the unseen narrator asks what ingredient all of the donuts have in common; the sweet answer to this question is the icing on the cake, ahem, donut. While donut-loving toddlers might appreciate the appetizing, watercolor illustrations and the novelty aspects of the book, they may need adult help to guess some of the flavors, particularly pumpkin spice since the only clues are a cinnamon stick and cloves. The book has die-cut holes at the center that little hands can use to turn the pages; however, it may not stand up to robust play due to the very narrow binding.
A flavorsome option to develop tactile and associative memory skills in small children. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 14, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-7972-1082-7
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 2, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2021
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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