Relatively small pictures and potential points of confusion make this big book best for one-to-one sharing.
The large trim size (10 inches by 7 inches) sets this board book apart from others in the crowded market of beginning vocabulary books.
The designers make full use of the added space, with the topic of “Food” beginning on the inside of the cover and “Wild Animals” extending to the inside back cover. Ten topics familiar to young children each fill a double-page spread with 10 or 11 pictures. The uncluttered layout is enhanced by clear lowercase labels separated by plenty of white space. A ribbon of even smaller action pictures across the bottom of each page offers more to talk about. By featuring teddy bears instead of humans, race and gender stereotypes are mostly avoided. On the pages that show “Family,” the bear labeled “uncle” is wearing an apron and carrying a cake, while “grandmother” bear is shown holding two bird cages, and the spectacle-wearing “grandfather” is sleeping in a chair under a pile of books. However, children may not recognize their own families in these rather specific images. Bafflingly, given the relatively generic approach, there’s a depiction of a bear in war paint and a feathered headdress in an illustration of the number “four”—a deeply unfortunate choice. American readers may be initially confused by the occasional Briticisms (“biscuits” for cookies; “jumper” for sweater; “pyjamas”) in this import.
Relatively small pictures and potential points of confusion make this big book best for one-to-one sharing. (Board book. 1-4)Pub Date: April 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-911509-01-1
Page Count: 20
Publisher: b small/Trafalgar
Review Posted Online: March 17, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
Not life-changing but engaging—extra points for Braille.
There’s more than meets the eye in this day-at-the-beach primer.
Rhyming text with fun-to-say sound effects and simple illustrations with ingenious tactile features bring the sights, sounds, and sensations of a trip to the beach to life in this 10-page board book. Uncluttered pages feature common clothing and accoutrements a child might encounter on a visit to the seaside, from a polka-dot hat with colorful, inlaid fabric to shiny embossed sunglasses, a bottle of sunscreen, a sun suit, and rubbery beach shoes that go “squish, squish, squish” when one walks. Yellow, glittering sandpaper depicts the sand that crunches underfoot; a smooth expanse of gleaming, wavy blue is the ocean on which a tiny sailboat floats. Children should be fascinated with the inviting array of things to touch: the spiral contours of seashells, the ribbed arms of a starfish, a shiny, plastic bucket and spade, and a plush, cloth beach towel, for example. The day’s festivities conclude with a picnic packed in a lunchbox that little fingers can open, followed by a Popsicle for dessert. The book’s sturdy construction should withstand the punishment of grabby hands. The rhyme scheme is consistent, though the meter may occasionally confuse. Braille text indicates page numbers and several prominent vocabulary words.
Not life-changing but engaging—extra points for Braille. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: May 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-84643-923-0
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Child's Play
Review Posted Online: April 25, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Toddlers will enjoy identifying the healthy vegetables—and they may even be stirred to eat them when they appear at...
Rhyming text and clever colorful illustrations by a mother-daughter duo feature in this delightful board book.
When dark-haired, white-skinned Allie goes into her garden one morning to harvest vegetables, she finds some creatures hiding there. Will there be any vegetables left for Allie? “I walked to my garden / where the corn grew high, / and a noisy black crow / went flying by.” Daughter Osborn’s (Hungry Henry, 2016) striking mixed-media artwork brings together three kinds of illustrations on the same page: a pen-and-ink cartoon Allie and her basket, photographs of fresh, delicious vegetables (corn, tomatoes, lettuce, and more), and expressive animals cleverly carved from vegetables. The crow is made from an eggplant, and there’s a floppy-eared bunny made from a potato, a carrot fox, and a cucumber-and–bell pepper snake. The vibrant vegetables stand out on the white background on all the pages.
Toddlers will enjoy identifying the healthy vegetables—and they may even be stirred to eat them when they appear at dinnertime. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: April 4, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-936669-53-0
Page Count: 14
Publisher: blue manatee press
Review Posted Online: April 30, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
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