This and its companion should give youngsters plenty about which to babble.
Learn to count with Stanley the hamster and his mole pal, Little Woo.
Simple line drawings, bright colors, and engaging animal characters make learning to count good fun in this charming board book. Stanley and Little Woo walk young readers through the numbers from one to 10 as they round up items for a picnic. Numbers and vocabulary are introduced in a series of double-page vignettes as the two friends collect a Jell-O salad, cakes, party hats, balloons, and other items for the picnic that closes the story. Admittedly, there’s not much of a plot at all, but the artwork and characters will engage budding mathematicians. The excitement of the duo as they happily plan a party for their friends is lovely to see as well. The text accompanying the climactic picnic scene asks toddlers to count the attendees. The picnic, the busiest drawing in the book, features many other items that children can count as well. Stanley’s Opposites, published concurrently, is a similarly winning vocabulary builder for young readers, contrasting “asleep” and “awake,” “in” and “out,” “open” and “closed,” “light” and “dark,” and other paired antonyms. The many unrelated contrasts in this companion volume afford even greater opportunity for whimsy and variety in the illustrations.
This and its companion should give youngsters plenty about which to babble. (Board book. 6 mos.-3)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-56145-976-6
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: Aug. 6, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2018
A substantive and affirming addition to any collection.
An impressive array of names, events, and concepts from Black history are introduced in this alphabet book for early-elementary readers.
From A for anthem(“a banner of song / that wraps us in hope, lets us know we belong”) to Z for zenith(“the top of that mountain King said we would reach”), this picture book is a journey through episodes, ideas, and personalities that represent a wide range of Black experiences. Some spreads celebrate readers themselves, like B for beautiful(“I’m talking to you!”); others celebrate accomplishments, such as E for explore(Matthew Henson, Mae Jemison), or experiences, like G for the Great Migration. The rhyming verses are light on the tongue, making the reading smooth and soothing. The brightly colored, folk art–style illustrations offer vibrant scenes of historical and contemporary Black life, with common people and famous people represented in turn. Whether reading straight through and poring over each page or flipping about to look at the refreshing scenes full of brown and black faces, readers will feel pride and admiration for the resilience and achievements of Black people and a call to participate in the “unfinished…American tale.” Endnotes clarify terms and figures, and a resource list includes child-friendly books, websites, museums, and poems.
A substantive and affirming addition to any collection. (Informational picture book. 6-11)Pub Date: Dec. 8, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5235-0749-8
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Workman
Review Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Simple, encouraging text, charming photographs, straightforward, unpretentious diversity, and adorable animals—what’s not to...
This entry-level early reader/picture book pairs children with farm animals.
Using a simple, effective template—a full-page photograph on the recto page and a bordered spot photo above the text on the verso—Rotner delivers an amiable picture book that presents racially and ethnically diverse kids interacting (mostly in the cuddling department) with the adult and baby animals typically found on a farm. Chickens, chicks, cats, kittens, dogs, puppies, pigs, piglets, cows, and calves are all represented. While a couple of double-page spreads show the larger adult animals—pigs and cows—without a child, most of the rest portray a delighted child hugging a compliant critter. The text, simple and repetitive, changes only the name for the animal depicted in the photo on that spread: “I like the cat”; “I like the piglet.” In this way, reading comprehension for new readers is supported in an enjoyable, appealing way, since the photo of the animal reinforces the new word. It’s hard to go wrong combining cute kids with adorable animals, but special kudos must be given for the very natural way Rotner has included diversity—it’s especially gratifying to see diversity normalized and validated early, at the same time that reading comprehension is taught.
Simple, encouraging text, charming photographs, straightforward, unpretentious diversity, and adorable animals—what’s not to like? (Picture book/early reader. 2-6)Pub Date: Aug. 15, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-8234-3833-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2017
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