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THE ITSY BITSY SPIDER

Name: THE ITSY BITSY SPIDER
Author: Rebecca Emberley

illustrated by Rebecca Emberley ; Ed Emberley ; developed by Little Bahalia Publishing ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 21, 2014

Give this one a miss.

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Based on a favorite classic finger rhyme, this app features accompanying music and vocals by jazz musician Peter Black.

Although bright and colorful, this “itsy-bitsy” spider is large and a little scary. Utilizing the Emberleys’ relatively new approach that utilizes eye-poppingly bright colors within designs inflected by Aboriginal influences, the background illustrations consist of a few raindrops, a black hole to represent the drain and a yellow sun. Coloration aside, the spider is laudably realistic, with curved, pointy fangs and at least six eyes visible at all times; though not hairy like a tarantula, it nevertheless looks menacingly predatory and large on the mostly featureless background. Garth Williams didn’t do extreme close-ups of Charlotte for a reason. Readers may be nonplussed (or even happy) to find it on its back looking rather dead as the sun dries up all the rain. Never fear; it lives to go up the spout again anyway. There is not much here to carry the storyline along for little ones, and in the interactive reading feature, the animation only serves to make this spider even creepier. Unfortunately, kids old enough to enjoy a scary spider will be well past the nursery-song stage.

Give this one a miss. (iPad nursery-rhyme app. 1-4)

Pub Date: Aug. 21, 2014

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Little Bahalia Publishing

Review Posted Online: Sept. 30, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2014

- BOOK REVIEW
SPARE PARTS
by Rebecca Emberley ; illustrated by Ed Emberley

- BOOK REVIEW
FLATLAND
by David Sayre ; illustrated by Rebecca Emberley

- BOOK REVIEW
THE CROCODILE AND THE SCORPION
by Ed Emberley ; illustrated by Rebecca Emberley

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LITTLE BLUE TRUCK'S SPRINGTIME

From the Little Blue Truck series

by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 2, 2018

Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come.

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Little Blue Truck and his pal Toad meet friends old and new on a springtime drive through the country.

This lift-the-flap, interactive entry in the popular Little Blue Truck series lacks the narrative strength and valuable life lessons of the original Little Blue Truck (2008) and its sequel, Little Blue Truck Leads the Way (2009). Both of those books, published for preschoolers rather than toddlers, featured rich storylines, dramatic, kinetic illustrations, and simple but valuable life lessons—the folly of taking oneself too seriously, the importance of friends, and the virtue of taking turns, for example. At about half the length and with half as much text as the aforementioned titles, this volume is a much quicker read. Less a story than a vernal celebration, the book depicts a bucolic drive through farmland and encounters with various animals and their young along the way. Beautifully rendered two-page tableaux teem with butterflies, blossoms, and vibrant pastel, springtime colors. Little Blue greets a sheep standing in the door of a barn: “Yoo-hoo, Sheep! / Beep-beep! / What’s new?” Folding back the durable, card-stock flap reveals the barn’s interior and an adorable set of twin lambs. Encounters with a duck and nine ducklings, a cow with a calf, a pig with 10 (!) piglets, a family of bunnies, and a chicken with a freshly hatched chick provide ample opportunity for counting and vocabulary work.

Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come. (Board book. 1-4)

Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018

ISBN: 978-0-544-93809-0

Page Count: 16

Publisher: HMH Books

Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S TRANSPORTATION

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE BLUE TRUCK MAKES A FRIEND
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry

- BOOK REVIEW
TIME FOR SCHOOL, LITTLE BLUE TRUCK
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by John Joseph

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE BLUE TRUCK'S VALENTINE
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by John Joseph

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SPOOKY POOKIE

by Sandra Boynton ; illustrated by Sandra Boynton ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 7, 2015

A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character.

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One of Boynton's signature characters celebrates Halloween.

It's Halloween time, and Pookie the pig is delighted. Mom helps the little porker pick out the perfect Halloween costume, a process that spans the entire board book. Using an abcb rhyme scheme, Boynton dresses Pookie in a series of cheerful costumes, including a dragon, a bunny, and even a caped superhero. Pookie eventually settles on the holiday classic, a ghost, by way of a bedsheet. Boynton sprinkles in amusing asides to her stanzas as Pookie offers costume commentary ("It's itchy"; "It's hot"; "I feel silly"). Little readers will enjoy the notion of transforming themselves with their own Halloween costumes while reading this book, and a few parents may get some ideas as well. Boynton's clean, sharp illustrations are as good as ever. This is Pookie's first holiday title, but readers will surely welcome more.

A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character. (Board book. 1-3)