A fine addition to holiday collections that anticipates the excitement of the season while steering clear of both religious...
This Christmas board book includes a peekaboo game.
Boo, a black cartoon cat first introduced in Where’s Boo (2013), sports a Santa hat on the cover. A half-circle cutout reveals the hat’s fuzzy white pom-pom on the final page, but before they reach it, youngsters are asked whether the cat is hiding behind a gingerbread house, a snowman, or a toy snare drum. The flocked puff is incorporated into each holiday scene, standing in as a cookie, snowball, or smoke from a toy steam train as the pages turn. Finally the cat is found hiding behind the Christmas tree beside a fireplace decorated with Christmas stockings. Each cheery illustration’s seasonally iconic images give little ones much to discover and talk about. The repeated question (“Is he behind…”) allows even the youngest toddler to quickly guess the response (“No, that’s a…”) and feel smart when they correctly guess the cat’s obvious hiding place. After a couple shared readings, they may even return to “read” the predictable story independently. The large cutout makes turning the pages easy for little fingers.
A fine addition to holiday collections that anticipates the excitement of the season while steering clear of both religious overtones and commercial hype. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 4, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-525-57956-4
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 4, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2019
Cute and sprightly but not a standout.
Deck the stalls?
A bevy of barnyard animals, a cat, and some dogs get fully into the Christmas spirit by sprucing up the farm with colorful decorations, including holly berries and sparkling baubles. They have a great time and sing while going about their merry chores in a manner somewhat in keeping with the rhythm of the classic tune “Deck the Halls.” (In fact, a flock of sheep are shown holding song sheets for it.) As might be expected with these particular celebrants, some of the familiar lyrics are altered just a bit; for instance, “boughs of holly” is “translated” as “cows and holly.” Adult readers expecting the rhythm here to work exactly as it does in the original will be disappointed, because it doesn’t—it’s clunky. This is merely a brief, lightweight spoof of the familiar ditty, so it’s recommended that grown-ups read rather than sing this—except for that final line!—to very young targeted audiences, who may be unfamiliar with the actual song anyway. Some fun is still to be had in the illustrations, however. The spirited, wittily expressive animal characters are depicted having a fine time romping about and producing a variety of onomatopoeic sounds throughout. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Cute and sprightly but not a standout. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-66591-435-2
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Boynton Bookworks
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2022
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Exactly what readers want and expect from the board-book master.
Pookie and family celebrate Thanksgiving.
Boynton’s precocious little pig is back in this holiday installment. The family gets ready for Thanksgiving by baking pies, welcoming Nemmy and Boppa for dinner, and sharing gratitude (and pie!). Boynton’s familiar rhyming text and simple, thick-lined illustrations are exactly what readers have come to expect from this series: Pookie is a little silly, the story bounces along, and the artwork is warm and cozy. Though most of the action takes place inside, the passage of day is clear through the window, from daylight to the setting sun. Decorations and a tree with just a few leaves on it indicate the autumnal season. There are two pages where numbers are called out, presented differently from the rest of the typeface (Pookie and their parents prepare apple pie and one pumpkin pie, and there will be five guests at dinner). The only bolded digits are one and five, even though the text does mention that there will be a total of two pies—a stylistic choice that seems to point readers to counting practice but that feels a bit random. Overall, though, this is a worthy new story about one of Boynton’s most beloved characters. True to form, it’s a toddler-friendly read, providing context for the festivities and a sweet representation of gratitude. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Exactly what readers want and expect from the board-book master. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-66592-263-0
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Boynton Bookworks
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2022
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