A shopping excursion with Dad turns into a fun-filled, edifying romp for French’s irrepressible Anna (Not Again, Anna!, 1998). Counting opportunities abound as Anna and her increasingly frazzled parent procure gifts for their loved ones, from five oranges down to one large ice-cream cone (for guess who). With glee, Anna offers her assistance—and seasoned Anna fans will know this means a rollicking adventure is in store for everyone. French’s text is appropriately brief, with short sentences focusing on favored treats and familiar family members. Ayliffe’s vibrantly hued illustrations perfectly capture Anna’s exuberant joie de vivre. Each two-page spread highlights an item on the shopping list. A half-page gatefold unveils Anna’s antics and the ensuing chaos, e.g., a florist’s shop is portrayed in full splendor as Dad and Anna select the perfect blossoms for Mom. However, when readers lift the flap, they discover Anna sprawled upon the floor in a puddle of water and greenery from the toppled pail. For each new number, there is a new mishap. Preschoolers will enjoy the predictability of the tale, joining in with the text as each misadventure is heralded by the phrase, “Oops, Anna!” A four-page, accordion-style gatefold opens up to reveal Anna safely back at home sharing her thoughtful presents with her family. The final two-page spread, a tally sheet of the items purchased features the numerals one through five, accompanied by illustrations depicting the correct amount of items. With Anna merrily leading the way, young readers will have a grand time exploring the concept of quantities. (Picture book. 2-5)
Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2000
ISBN: 1-86233-074-3
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Sterling
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2000
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own...
The sturdy Little Blue Truck is back for his third adventure, this time delivering Christmas trees to his band of animal pals.
The truck is decked out for the season with a Christmas wreath that suggests a nose between headlights acting as eyeballs. Little Blue loads up with trees at Toad’s Trees, where five trees are marked with numbered tags. These five trees are counted and arithmetically manipulated in various ways throughout the rhyming story as they are dropped off one by one to Little Blue’s friends. The final tree is reserved for the truck’s own use at his garage home, where he is welcomed back by the tree salestoad in a neatly circular fashion. The last tree is already decorated, and Little Blue gets a surprise along with readers, as tiny lights embedded in the illustrations sparkle for a few seconds when the last page is turned. Though it’s a gimmick, it’s a pleasant surprise, and it fits with the retro atmosphere of the snowy country scenes. The short, rhyming text is accented with colored highlights, red for the animal sounds and bright green for the numerical words in the Christmas-tree countdown.
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own tree that will put a twinkle in a toddler’s eyes. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-544-32041-3
Page Count: 24
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Innovative and thoroughly enjoyable.
You think you know shapes? Animals? Blend them together, and you might see them both a little differently!
What a mischievous twist on a concept book! With wordplay and a few groan-inducing puns, Neal creates connections among animals and shapes that are both unexpected and so seemingly obvious that readers might wonder why they didn’t see them all along. Of course, a “lazy turtle” meeting an oval would create the side-splitting combo of a “SLOW-VAL.” A dramatic page turn transforms a deeply saturated, clean-lined green oval by superimposing a head and turtle shell atop, with watery blue ripples completing the illusion. Minimal backgrounds and sketchy, impressionistic detailing keep the focus right on the zany animals. Beginning with simple shapes, the geometric forms become more complicated as the book advances, taking readers from a “soaring bird” that meets a triangle to become a “FLY-ANGLE” to a “sleepy lion” nonagon “YAWN-AGON.” Its companion text, Animal Colors, delves into color theory, this time creating entirely hybrid animals, such as the “GREEN WHION” with maned head and whale’s tail made from a “blue whale and a yellow lion.” It’s a compelling way to visualize color mixing, and like Animal Shapes, it’s got verve. Who doesn’t want to shout out that a yellow kangaroo/green moose blend is a “CHARTREUSE KANGAMOOSE”?
Innovative and thoroughly enjoyable. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: March 27, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4998-0534-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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