Teachers and parents of short-fused toddlers will read this over and over. Serve with bananas
Betty’s hunger gets the better of her when she faces a banana she cannot open.
Betty, a baby gorilla, is like little folks everywhere when she is hungry. She wants to eat now. That banana seems promising, but Betty is stymied: How can she get past the peel? She tries using her hands, teeth and feet, but nothing works. Frustrated, Betty erupts, crying, screaming and banging her feet. A helpful toucan shows her how to peel the desired fruit, but Betty wants to peel it herself. She falls into another tantrum about that, and she melts down again when the banana breaks. The backgrounds of the spreads reflect Betty’s moods: fully saturated red when Betty has lost it and gentle yellows and whites when she calms herself. Children, whose emotions can run a roller coaster, will have no choice but to giggle at Betty’s behavior. Mr. Toucan, playing the role of the reasonable but understanding adult, shifts his eye knowingly at readers, adding to the fun. Childlike illustrations in pencil and graphite sticks on banana paper (naturally!) draw children into Betty’s life with humor. She looks innocent in her pink dress with matching bow, but her smile disappears quickly when her body collapses in exasperation.
Teachers and parents of short-fused toddlers will read this over and over. Serve with bananas . (Picture book. 2-6)Pub Date: Dec. 23, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-553-50761-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2014
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes.
A lift-the-flap book gives the littlest trick-or-treaters some practice identifying partygoers under their costumes.
Little Blue Truck and his buddy Toad are off to a party, and they invite readers (and a black cat) along for the ride: “ ‘Beep! Beep! Beep!’ / says Little Blue. / ‘It’s Halloween!’ / You come, too.” As they drive, they are surprised (and joined) by many of their friends in costume. “Who’s that in a tutu / striking a pose / up on the tiniest / tips of her toes? / Under the mask / who do you see?” Lifting the flap unmasks a friend: “ ‘Quack!’ says the duck. / ‘It’s me! It’s me!’ ” The sheep is disguised as a clown, the cow’s a queen, the pig’s a witch, the hen and her chick are pirates, and the horse is a dragon. Not to be left out, Little Blue has a costume, too. The flaps are large and sturdy, and enough of the animals’ characteristic features are visible under and around the costumes that little ones will be able to make successful guesses even on the first reading. Lovely curvy shapes and autumn colors fade to dusky blues as night falls, and children are sure to notice the traditional elements of a Halloween party: apple bobbing, lit jack-o’-lanterns, and punch and treats.
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-544-77253-3
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Safe to creep on by.
Carle’s famous caterpillar expresses its love.
In three sentences that stretch out over most of the book’s 32 pages, the (here, at least) not-so-ravenous larva first describes the object of its love, then describes how that loved one makes it feel before concluding, “That’s why… / I[heart]U.” There is little original in either visual or textual content, much of it mined from The Very Hungry Caterpillar. “You are… / …so sweet,” proclaims the caterpillar as it crawls through the hole it’s munched in a strawberry; “…the cherry on my cake,” it says as it perches on the familiar square of chocolate cake; “…the apple of my eye,” it announces as it emerges from an apple. Images familiar from other works join the smiling sun that shone down on the caterpillar as it delivers assurances that “you make… / …the sun shine brighter / …the stars sparkle,” and so on. The book is small, only 7 inches high and 5 ¾ inches across when closed—probably not coincidentally about the size of a greeting card. While generations of children have grown up with the ravenous caterpillar, this collection of Carle imagery and platitudinous sentiment has little of his classic’s charm. The melding of Carle’s caterpillar with Robert Indiana’s iconic LOVE on the book’s cover, alas, draws further attention to its derivative nature.
Safe to creep on by. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Dec. 15, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-448-48932-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2021
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BOOK REVIEW
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