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WIGGLE JUMP TICKLE

Name: WIGGLE JUMP TICKLE
Author: Ruth Austin
ISBN: 978-1-946873-09-5

A LITTLE BOOK OF ACTIONS

by Ruth Austin ; illustrated by Kanae Sato ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 1, 2018

Toddlers might “jump” for joy over this bouncy board book and its companions.

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Frolic along with a little boy and his newly hatched chick friend as they demonstrate the titular actions and many more.

The book pops with clearly demonstrated action words. “Leap” sends boy and bird soaring upward, while the little chicky performs a cute tail “wiggle.” It’s all so inviting that children might find themselves wanting to “dance” or “stomp” right along. Sato scaffolds a simple visual narrative onto the words, beginning with the chick’s hatching, moving on to playtime, a tiff, and then forgiveness, and ending with bedtime and a peaceful “snooze.” For little listeners, it’s the perfect amount of plot and intrigue. A high-contrast palette of black, white, baby blue, and gold on brilliant Day-Glo blue background makes the duo burst off the page, and the lack of scenery keeps the spotlight on the buddies’ antics. Negative space defines the characters, who are created from simple but evocative rounded shapes (the chick resembles a curvy sweet potato). Expressive curved-line smiles, comically askew feet, triangle beak, and eye-catching motion lines make the vignettes feel exuberantly animated. Adding to its overall appeal, this is one durable book, with robustly textured pages that feel water-resistant and a sturdy binding. It’s part of a board-book trio, each with its own signature Day-Glo color and friendly animal foil. Happy Grumpy Loved explores feelings, while Hide Seek Stinky Sweet covers opposites.

Toddlers might “jump” for joy over this bouncy board book and its companions. (Board book. 1-3)

Pub Date: June 1, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-946873-09-5

Page Count: 24

Publisher: Compendium

Review Posted Online: May 22, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS

- BOOK REVIEW
WHAT DID THE GOOD NIGHT MONSTER DO?
by Ruth Austin ; illustrated by Katie Harnett

- BOOK REVIEW
SO MANY CUDDLES
by Ruth Austin ; illustrated by Clare Owen

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SMILE, POUT-POUT FISH

by Deborah Diesen ; illustrated by Dan Hanna ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 7, 2014

An upbeat early book on feelings with a simple storyline that little ones will respond to.

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This simplified version of Diesen and Hanna’s The Pout-Pout Fish (2008) is appropriate for babies and toddlers.

Brief, rhyming text tells the story of a sullen fish cheered up with a kiss. A little pink sea creature pokes his head out of a hole in the sea bottom to give the gloomy fish some advice: “Smile, Mr. Fish! / You look so down // With your glum-glum face / And your pout-pout frown.” He explains that there’s no reason to be worried, scared, sad or mad and concludes: “How about a smooch? / And a cheer-up wish? // Now you look happy: / What a smile, Mr. Fish!” Simple and sweet, this tale offers the lesson that sometimes, all that’s needed for a turnaround in mood is some cheer and encouragement to change our perspective. The clean, uncluttered illustrations are kept simple, except for the pout-pout fish’s features, which are delightfully expressive. Little ones will easily recognize and likely try to copy the sad, scared and angry looks that cross the fish’s face.

An upbeat early book on feelings with a simple storyline that little ones will respond to. (Board book. 1-3)

Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2014

ISBN: 978-0-374-37084-8

Page Count: 12

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
THE WORRY-WORRY WHALE AND THE CLASSROOM JITTERS
by Deborah Diesen ; illustrated by Dan Hanna

- BOOK REVIEW
POUT-POUT FISH
by Deborah Diesen ; illustrated by Dan Hanna

- BOOK REVIEW
THE POUT-POUT FISH AND THE MAD, MAD DAY
by Deborah Diesen ; illustrated by Dan Hanna

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ALL ABOUT ME

From the Look & Learn series

by National Geographic ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 11, 2014

Clear nonfiction for the very young is hard to come by, and it appears that the Look & Learn series may finally be on...

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An exploration of the human body through colorful photos.

Every other double-page spread labels the individual parts on one major area: head, torso, back, arm and leg. Ethnically diverse boy-girl pairs serve as models as arrows point to specific features and captions float nearby. While the book usefully mentions rarely depicted body parts, such as eyebrow, armpit and shin, some of the directional arrows are unclear. The arrow pointing at a girl’s shoulder hits her in the upper arm, and the belly button is hard is distinguish from the stomach (both are concealed by shirts). Facts about the human body (“Guess what? You have tiny hairs in your nose that keep out dirt”) appear on alternating spreads along with photos of kids in action. Baby Animals, another title in the Look & Learn series, uses an identical format to introduce readers to seal pups, leopard cubs, elephant calves, ducklings and tadpoles. In both titles, the final spread offers a review of the information and encourages readers to match baby animals to their parents or find body parts on a photo of kids jumping on a trampoline.

Clear nonfiction for the very young is hard to come by, and it appears that the Look & Learn series may finally be on the right track despite earlier titles that were much too conceptual for the audience. (Board book. 18 mos.-3)