A picnic with marching, singing, and counting equals fun for toddlers.
March along with these cheerful ants, but wait—are they stealing the picnic or rescuing it from the rain?
Seeing just two smiling ants on the first page to start the familiar refrain of the folk song may confuse parents and teachers, until they realize that “one by one” here means one beside another one. Five shiny raindrops and the ants’ use of grapes as rain hats give a hint of what is to come. Pairs of two tote off giant orange wedges and cherries, while groups of three work together to carry off a banana and hot dog. The lines about the little one stopping to suck his thumb and scratch his knee are not included, which may confuse readers who already know the traditional verse. It's really raining by the time teams of four are hauling off sandwiches and corn on the cob as well as “shutting the door” to a box of crackers. The groups of five use watermelon slices as umbrellas as they haul a cupcake to an underground picnic. With all this action, little ones will find much to name as they sing along again and again. The counting is almost incidental—which is the best way for instruction to happen with very young children.
A picnic with marching, singing, and counting equals fun for toddlers. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: March 29, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-545-82504-7
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
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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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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