A sweet take on the new-sibling theme.
A comparison of two siblings’ personal items.
While Big Bear, Little Bear (2021) compared the objects owned by a parent and a child, this tale catalogs Little Bear’s and their baby sibling’s belongings, from socks to toys to books. Little Bear is taller, dressed like an older child. Baby Bear, on the other hand, sports a onesie and is much smaller. Side-by-side illustrations enable readers to observe the ways the two are alike and ways in which they are different—both enjoy a snack, but Little Bear eats an apple, while Baby Bear still drinks from a bottle. New older siblings might find this read especially helpful, as they’ll see just how capable they are (like Little Bear, they can ride a bike, for instance). The book closes with an illustration of Little Bear and Baby Bear piled onto Big Bear’s lap, a reminder that they all share the same love. Schneider’s illustrations are simple, showcasing the two items on each side of the spread, set against a solid, vibrantly colored background. Little Bear and Baby Bear are more teddy bear than grizzly, with minimal detail, which also makes for little change in their facial expressions. It also leaves room for adults to fill in the blanks and reassure their Little Bears in advance of the arrival of a Baby Bear. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A sweet take on the new-sibling theme. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-951836-63-4
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Cameron Kids
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
Not a great choice for the youngest dinosaur lovers.
A board-book ode to parental love as old as the dinosaurs.
A line of text on the left of each spread reads like a dinosaur-themed valentine that a third grader might choose, with punishingly punny wordplay that incorporates dinosaur-related words. On the facing page a dinosaur pair—a baby and an adult—gaze lovingly into each other’s eyes against whimsical, pastel-hued prehistoric-ish backgrounds. In smaller print, in all caps, at the bottom of the left page is the scientific name for the dinosaur referenced by the text and picture followed by a helpful phonetic pronunciation guide. White-outlined footprints appear next to their names, though the white is sometimes difficult to see against the pastel pages. Ten of the best-known dinosaurs are included. Twisting the dinosaur names to fit the loving sentiments succeeds some of the time but more often results in tortured text, well beyond the understanding of the board book audience. The line accompanying two hugging velociraptors, for instance, is just confusing: “Wrap-TOR arms around me, / with you I’ll always stay.” Others are just plain clumsy: “I-wanna-GUANODON you kisses, / I truly just adore you.” Very young children, even those fascinated by dinosaurs, will not get it. Older dinosaur fans will be put off by the babyish format.
Not a great choice for the youngest dinosaur lovers. (Board book. 18 mos.-3)Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-7282-2295-0
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
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