This will give readers a case of the giggles, but they won't be rolling on the floor in hysterics.
The lovable hares return for a ticklefest.
Little Nutbrown Hare and Big Nutbrown Hare are playing in the evening sunshine when the little one asks the larger, "Are you ticklish?" Thus begins an exchange of tickles that will have little ones giggling for sure. The book comes with a decently sized puppet Nutbrown Hare sewn into the back and sticking through the centrally die-cut pages that can be used to tickle little readers, body part by body part, as the pages turn. The only drawback to this book is the puppet, and it pertains only to those with large hands. Meaty-handed adult readers may not be able to fit their hands in the puppet or successfully turn pages without getting their knuckles caught, but those with less-substantial hands will likely be able to pull it off. Even they may find the puppet-and-book apparatus cumbersome enough that they abandon the puppet and just tickle directly, without risking koshing their little ones with the book’s edges. Jeram’s softly toned illustrations return with the Nutbrown Hares, providing a gently amusing background to the tickling.
This will give readers a case of the giggles, but they won't be rolling on the floor in hysterics. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Feb. 9, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-7636-8819-6
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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