A sweet story that will have children clamoring to see a show, perhaps with their own bears.
Don Freeman’s beloved Corduroy experiences an unforgettable night at the theater in this debut picture book from Tony- and Academy Award–winning actress Davis with co-author Hennessy and illustrator Wheeler.
When Corduroy accompanies Lisa and her mother to the theater to see a dramatization of nursery rhymes, mischief and fun inevitably follow. After he’s accidentally dropped before the curtain goes up, the ever curious bear ambles through the theater, eager to find the perfect vantage point from which to view the production. Corduroy’s adventures take him from the orchestra pit to the costume room and finally onto the stage itself! The author’s simple text conveys both her love of theater and the magical experience of a child who’s brought to see a show for the first time. Lisa may be sitting in the plush red seats enjoying the show, but the real production is backstage, which readers experience through Corduroy’s eyes. One of Wheeler’s talents as an illustrator is facial expressions, and she captures Corduroy’s elation, trepidation, and fearlessness as he freewheels from adventure to adventure even as she successfully mimics Freeman’s style. Perhaps the book’s most valuable visual aspect is featuring people of color in all elements of the theater, from Lisa and her mother, of course, to the orchestra pit, stage manager, and actors. Even Lisa’s doll, shown at the end, is of color, providing much-needed representation.
A sweet story that will have children clamoring to see a show, perhaps with their own bears. (Picture book 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 4, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-425-29147-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2018
It’s a bit hard to dance, or count, to this beat.
Dinos that love to move and groove get children counting from one to 10—and perhaps moving to the beat.
Beginning with a solo bop by a female dino (she has eyelashes, doncha know), the dinosaur dance party begins. Each turn of the page adds another dino and a change in the dance genre: waltz, country line dancing, disco, limbo, square dancing, hip-hop, and swing. As the party would be incomplete without the moonwalk, the T. Rex does the honors…and once they are beyond their initial panic at his appearance, the onlookers cheer wildly. The repeated refrain on each spread allows for audience participation, though it doesn’t easily trip off the tongue: “They hear a swish. / What’s this? / One more? / One more dino on the floor.” Some of the prehistoric beasts are easily identifiable—pterodactyl, ankylosaurus, triceratops—but others will be known only to the dino-obsessed; none are identified, other than T-Rex. Packed spreads filled with psychedelically colored dinos sporting blocks of color, stripes, or polka dots (and infectious looks of joy) make identification even more difficult, to say nothing of counting them. Indeed, this fails as a counting primer: there are extra animals (and sometimes a grumpy T-Rex) in the backgrounds, and the next dino to join the party pokes its head into the frame on the page before. Besides all that, most kids won’t get the dance references.
It’s a bit hard to dance, or count, to this beat. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: March 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-8075-1598-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2016
Leave this on the shelf and take the kids outside to really move.
An interactive board book promises a variety of experiences.
A book that gets kids up and moving sounds like a great idea. The half-circle cutout of the spine and large handle formed by another die cut on the right side are intriguing. Unfortunately, the rhyming instructions for using the book as an exercise prop are confusing. Even adults will find themselves puzzled when told to “paddle the floor,” or to “hang on the handles. Step over the book. / You're a turtle in its shell! Go peek out and look.” The busy pictures shift perspective according to each scenario presented but give few visual clues. For example, the only hint of a dinosaur on the page where readers are told to “put this book to your mouth and let out a roar” like a dinosaur are the teeth that line the edges of what is meant to be a gaping maw. It’s not always obvious whether the book is meant to be facing readers or turned away from them, adding another layer of confusion. Furthermore, many of the instructions run counter to how young children are typically taught to treat books, as when they are told to step on it and then waddle or to lift it with their feet. The relatively thin board pages and weak handles will soon be torn by normal handling; following the directions in the text will only hasten the destruction.
Leave this on the shelf and take the kids outside to really move. (Board book. 3-5)Pub Date: May 3, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-7611-8733-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Workman
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
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