Bound to lead to repeat readings and some giggling.
Toddlers are invited to be amazed by the things this little book, imported from France, can do.
A person representing the book—achieved with simple, bold black lines for the face and hands, pink freckles, a die-cut black hat bumping up from the top of the page, die-cut shoes protruding down from the bottom, and pink pants set against the white of the page—encourages children to turn the pages and see for themselves what the book can do. “Can it wink?” Sure enough: As children turn the page, they will see one eye winking behind bright blue spectacles. And so it goes. The person-book blinks, puts a finger in its nose, sticks out its tongue, makes a funny face by smooshing its cheeks as it opens its mouth and sticks out its tongue again. Its drawing abilities aren’t so great, but it can tie its shoes. It can even play the game of peekaboo by covering its eyes and then uncovering them. And of course, being a book, it can read. The book ends with an invitation to children to take part in the action by pulling on the sturdy hat—here a tab—and seeing how silly the book can be. Parents and caregivers can have fun encouraging children to perform the same actions as the book. This book-person is literally white (as the paper) and presents White.
Bound to lead to repeat readings and some giggling. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 14, 2021
ISBN: 978-2-40802-852-7
Page Count: -
Publisher: Twirl/Chronicle
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2021
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
An upbeat early book on feelings with a simple storyline that little ones will respond to.
This simplified version of Diesen and Hanna’s The Pout-Pout Fish (2008) is appropriate for babies and toddlers.
Brief, rhyming text tells the story of a sullen fish cheered up with a kiss. A little pink sea creature pokes his head out of a hole in the sea bottom to give the gloomy fish some advice: “Smile, Mr. Fish! / You look so down // With your glum-glum face / And your pout-pout frown.” He explains that there’s no reason to be worried, scared, sad or mad and concludes: “How about a smooch? / And a cheer-up wish? // Now you look happy: / What a smile, Mr. Fish!” Simple and sweet, this tale offers the lesson that sometimes, all that’s needed for a turnaround in mood is some cheer and encouragement to change our perspective. The clean, uncluttered illustrations are kept simple, except for the pout-pout fish’s features, which are delightfully expressive. Little ones will easily recognize and likely try to copy the sad, scared and angry looks that cross the fish’s face.
An upbeat early book on feelings with a simple storyline that little ones will respond to. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-374-37084-8
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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