Short and sweet, but the empowering message, singsong cadences, and colorful, expressive faces are irresistible.
This simple, fun primer teaches toddlers the mechanics of dressing themselves to brave the elements on a snowy winter day.
In an animal kindergarten, a patient, encouraging teacher coaxes the children to bundle up before going outside for a recess romp in the snow. “Button your buttons, / zip your zippers. // Buckle your buckles, / and snap your snaps. // Put on your scarves. / Put on your mittens. // Put on your hats, please, / and pull down the flaps!” The animals that populate the classroom—raccoons, a rabbit, a beaver, a bear, and a porcupine—have large heads, big smiles, wide eyes, and delightfully confused expressions as they gamely execute their teacher’s orders. The illustrations have a wonderfully anarchic quality, as the teacher rides herd over a roomful of pupils moving in several directions at once. The bear cub wraps its head in its scarf like a mummy. Flying pencils, crayons, hats, mittens, and a runaway globe add to the chaos. Outside, the kids build a snowman and have a rousing snowball fight, then return from recess to repeat the process in reverse. Buttons are unbuttoned, zippers unzipped, buckles unbuckled, and snaps unsnapped, and once all the gear is removed, it’s time for well-deserved naps for the kids—and their teacher, too.
Short and sweet, but the empowering message, singsong cadences, and colorful, expressive faces are irresistible. (Board book. 2-5)Pub Date: July 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-68052-954-8
Page Count: 34
Publisher: Cottage Door Press
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2020
Parents of toddlers starting school or day care should seek separation-anxiety remedies elsewhere, and fans of the original...
A sweetened, condensed version of the best-selling picture book, The Kissing Hand.
As in the original, Chester Raccoon is nervous about attending Owl’s night school (raccoons are nocturnal). His mom kisses him on the paw and reminds him, “With a Kissing Hand… / We’ll never be apart.” The text boils the story down to its key elements, causing this version to feel rushed. Gone is the list of fun things Chester will get to do at school. Fans of the original may be disappointed that this board edition uses a different illustrator. Gibson’s work is equally sentimental, but her renderings are stiff and flat in comparison to the watercolors of Harper and Leak. Very young readers will probably not understand that Owl’s tree, filled with opossums, a squirrel, a chipmunk and others, is supposed to be a school.
Parents of toddlers starting school or day care should seek separation-anxiety remedies elsewhere, and fans of the original shouldn’t look to this version as replacement for their page-worn copies. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: April 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-933718-77-4
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Tanglewood Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance.
A boy with wings learns to be himself and inspires others like him to soar, too.
Norman, a “perfectly normal” boy, never dreamed he might grow wings. Afraid of what his parents might say, he hides his new wings under a big, stuffy coat. Although the coat hides his wings from the world, Norman no longer finds joy in bathtime, playing at the park, swimming, or birthday parties. With the gentle encouragement of his parents, who see his sadness, Norman finds the courage to come out of hiding and soar. Percival (The Magic Looking Glass, 2017, etc.) depicts Norman with light skin and dark hair. Black-and-white illustrations show his father with dark skin and hair and his mother as white. The contrast of black-and-white illustrations with splashes of bright color complements the story’s theme. While Norman tries to be “normal,” the world and people around him look black and gray, but his coat stands out in yellow. Birds pop from the page in pink, green, and blue, emphasizing the joy and beauty of flying free. The final spread, full of bright color and multiracial children in flight, sets the mood for Norman’s realization on the last page that there is “no such thing as perfectly normal,” but he can be “perfectly Norman.”
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: May 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68119-785-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
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