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THIS BOOK CAN DO ANYTHING

Name: THIS BOOK CAN DO ANYTHING
Author: Tristan Mory
ISBN: 978-2-40802-852-7

by Tristan Mory ; illustrated by Tristan Mory ; translated by Wendeline A. Hardenberg ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 14, 2021

Bound to lead to repeat readings and some giggling.

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS

- BOOK REVIEW
HOORAY FOR LITTLE FINGERS!
by Tristan Mory ; illustrated by Tristan Mory

- BOOK REVIEW
WHO AM I?
by Tristan Mory & Stéphanie Babin

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SMILE, POUT-POUT FISH

by Deborah Diesen ; illustrated by Dan Hanna ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 7, 2014

An upbeat early book on feelings with a simple storyline that little ones will respond to.

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
THE WORRY-WORRY WHALE AND THE CLASSROOM JITTERS
by Deborah Diesen ; illustrated by Dan Hanna

- BOOK REVIEW
POUT-POUT FISH
by Deborah Diesen ; illustrated by Dan Hanna

- BOOK REVIEW
THE POUT-POUT FISH AND THE MAD, MAD DAY
by Deborah Diesen ; illustrated by Dan Hanna

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ALL ABOUT ME

From the Look & Learn series

by National Geographic ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 11, 2014

Clear nonfiction for the very young is hard to come by, and it appears that the Look & Learn series may finally be on...

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An exploration of the human body through colorful photos.

Every other double-page spread labels the individual parts on one major area: head, torso, back, arm and leg. Ethnically diverse boy-girl pairs serve as models as arrows point to specific features and captions float nearby. While the book usefully mentions rarely depicted body parts, such as eyebrow, armpit and shin, some of the directional arrows are unclear. The arrow pointing at a girl’s shoulder hits her in the upper arm, and the belly button is hard is distinguish from the stomach (both are concealed by shirts). Facts about the human body (“Guess what? You have tiny hairs in your nose that keep out dirt”) appear on alternating spreads along with photos of kids in action. Baby Animals, another title in the Look & Learn series, uses an identical format to introduce readers to seal pups, leopard cubs, elephant calves, ducklings and tadpoles. In both titles, the final spread offers a review of the information and encourages readers to match baby animals to their parents or find body parts on a photo of kids jumping on a trampoline.

Clear nonfiction for the very young is hard to come by, and it appears that the Look & Learn series may finally be on the right track despite earlier titles that were much too conceptual for the audience. (Board book. 18 mos.-3)