bookshelf

DADDY LONG LEGS

Name: DADDY LONG LEGS
Author: Nadine Brun-Cosme
ISBN: 978-1-77138-362-2

by Nadine Brun-Cosme ; illustrated by Aurélie Guillerey ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 2, 2017

For flights of fancy, stick with And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street .

bookshelf

In a tale reminiscent of the song “Hush Little Baby,” a father reassures his kindergartener about how he will get back to him if the old green car finally gives up the ghost.

If the car won’t start, he’ll ride the neighbor’s tractor. But Matthew is too full of “what if”s to accept any answer his father gives. “And if the big red tractor is busy on the farm?” Then dad will be carried to Matthew by Martin, Matthew’s teddy bear. If Martin won’t wake up, the dad will recruit all the birds in the trees to carry him to his son at school. This give-and-take continues through ever more fanciful ideas until dad simply says he will use his legs (exaggeratedly elongated in the illustrations) to fetch Matthew from school. Guillerey’s flat, retro-styled illustrations are full of bold colors and stylized shapes. But some are head-scratchers: on the page when the text tells of dad putting a rabbit under each foot to hop him to school, the picture shows him popping out of a hole, the rabbits already beside it. (Perhaps a literal depiction of the dad standing atop each bunny was a nonstarter?) All of the humans are paper-white with pink cheeks; the father is blond, and the boy has brown hair.

For flights of fancy, stick with And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street . (Picture book. 2-5)

Pub Date: May 2, 2017

ISBN: 978-1-77138-362-2

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Kids Can

Review Posted Online: March 19, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2017

Categories:

CHILDREN'S FAMILY

- BOOK REVIEW
RABBIT, DUCK, AND BIG BEAR
by Nadine Brun-Cosme ; illustrated by Olivier Tallec

- BOOK REVIEW
WITH DAD, IT'S LIKE THAT
by Nadine Brun-Cosme ; illustrated by Magali Le Huche

- BOOK REVIEW
BIG WOLF & LITTLE WOLF, SUCH A BEAUTIFUL ORANGE!
by Nadine Brun-Cosme & illustrated by Olivier Tallec & translated by Claudia Zoe Bedrick

bookshelf

PEPPA'S GIANT PUMPKIN

From the Peppa Pig series

by Samantha Lizzio ; illustrated by eOne ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 30, 2019

This TV rerun in board-book form has nothing new to offer.

bookshelf

Peppa hopes to join her classmates in a Halloween pumpkin competition in this adaptation of a story from the popular British television program Peppa Pig.

With the help of Granny and Grandpa Pig, Peppa turns her giant pumpkin, which is the size of a compact car, into a jack-o’-lantern. The trio is flummoxed when it comes time to transport the pumpkin to the competition, so they call on Miss Rabbit and her helicopter to airlift the pumpkin to the festivities as Peppa and her grandparents ride inside. Peppa arrives just in time for the contest and wins the prize for best flying pumpkin. The scenes look as if they are pulled directly from the television show, right down to the rectangular framing of some of the scenes. While the story is literally nothing new, the text is serviceable, describing the action in two to three sentences per page. The pumpkin-shaped book and orange foil cover will likely attract youngsters, whether they are Peppa fans or not.

This TV rerun in board-book form has nothing new to offer. (Board book. 2-4)

Pub Date: July 30, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-338-33922-2

Page Count: 10

Publisher: Scholastic

Review Posted Online: Sept. 23, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2019

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S FAMILY | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS

bookshelf

I AM A BIG BROTHER

by Caroline Jayne Church ; illustrated by Caroline Jayne Church ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 27, 2015

A good choice for caregivers looking for a positive, uncomplicated introduction to a new baby that focuses on everything an...

bookshelf

A little boy exults in his new role as big brother.

Rhyming text describes the arrival of a new baby and all of the big brother’s rewarding new duties. He gets to help with feedings, diaper changes, playtime, bathtime, and naptime. Though the rhyming couplets can sometimes feel a bit forced and awkward, the sentiment is sweet, as the focus here never veers from the excitement and love a little boy feels for his tiny new sibling. The charming, uncluttered illustrations convincingly depict the growing bond between this fair-skinned, rosy-cheeked, smiling pair of boys. In the final pages, the parents, heretofore kept mostly out of view, are pictured holding the children. The accompanying text reads: “Mommy, Daddy, baby, me. / We love each other—a family!” In companion volume I Am a Big Sister, the little boy is replaced with a little girl with bows in her hair. Some of the colors and patterns in the illustrations are slightly altered, but it is essentially the same title.

A good choice for caregivers looking for a positive, uncomplicated introduction to a new baby that focuses on everything an older sibling can do to help. (Board book. 2-4)