A little felt brown-bear finger-puppet provides the narration in this companion to In My Pond and In My Nest (both 2009). Centered among concentric die-cuts that represent its den under a tree and environs, the little bear describes its home: “In my den I roll in soft, warm earth, / I put down leaves and pinecones, / I look outside for twigs….” Siminovich’s collages once again enhance the effect, strewing bracken around the hole in one spread, framing the hole with a chilly snowscape in another. The finger wielding the bear will need to tug a bit to get it through the last hole, emphasizing the snugness of its den “...with my family!” Like its predecessors and its fall companion, In My Tree (ISBN: 978-0-8118-7052-8), a warm, interactive experience that doesn’t sacrifice book to gimmick. (Ages 6-18 mos.)
Pub Date: Aug. 12, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-8118-7053-5
Page Count: 10
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2009
Duck Is Dirty ($4.95; August 26, 1996; 16 pp.; 0-374-31885-9): This book recounts the modest tribulations of Duck during a potentially pleasant stroll. It starts raining, he gets his feet muddy, is buffeted by winds, papered by leaves, and takes a header into the muck. A dip in the pond and Duck is good as new. Kitamura coaxes an appealing story from this 19-word trifle; one, moreover, that will ring familiar with the intended audience. The misleadingly simple artwork is graphically sophisticated, with Duck coming across as a winsome geek. Companion volumes are Squirrel Is Hungry (0-374-37171-7), Cat Is Sleepy (31223-0), and Dog Is Thirsty (31806-9). (Board book. 1-3)
Pub Date: Aug. 26, 1996
ISBN: 0-374-31885-9
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1996
The little terrier from the sublimely surreal Bow-Wow Bugs a Bug (2007) has moved to board books, a format well-suited to his colorful, graphic simplicity. Here Bow-Wow tugs a “Red!” sock off a human foot, revealing an “Orange!” one and so on to “Purple!” and, finally, naked tootsies: “Lick!” In each spread, the left-hand image depicts Bow-Wow beginning to pull the sock, the right-hand image showing the sock mostly pulled off with the next-colored sock beneath it and a quizzical expression on Bow-Wow’s face. Simple enough for babies to work on the concept, weird enough to appeal to parental readers again and again. Companion Bow-Wow 12 Months Running (ISBN: 978-0-15-206558-4) is a little on the complex side for the baby half of the audience. (6-18 mos.)
Pub Date: April 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-15-206564-5
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2009
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