Readers are unlikely to want all 19 titles in the set, but one or two are fun for the moment.
A cute novelty element encourages caregiver-child interaction.
A finger poked through the opening at the back of the book makes an orange kitten puppet’s head emerge from a die-cut circle on each page. The built-in finger puppet is securely anchored on the back page. All the pages are extra thick to withstand the rough handling this toy disguised as a book may inspire. The ears of the kitten don’t automatically fit through the opening, so if multiple pages are turned by accident, it’s difficult to fit the kitten’s head back through to correct the mistake. This problem is even more pronounced in companion title Baby Goat because of the goat’s long ears. With each page turn the kitten’s lengthening neck becomes increasingly out of proportion with the rest of his body. The slight storyline follows the kitten through a busy day, beginning with waking up and ending with “Sweet dreams.” The text suggests an action for the finger puppet, as in “When Baby Kitten is happy, he makes a low purring sound.” Unfortunately, the next behavior—licking his fur “clean with his tongue”—is impossible to execute. Still, the finger puppet serves it purpose: to get caregivers to pause and play with words and sounds as they read to their very young children.
Readers are unlikely to want all 19 titles in the set, but one or two are fun for the moment. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Feb. 11, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4521-8172-1
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 25, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2020
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
Leave the hopping to Peter Cottontail and sing the original song instead.
An Easter-themed board-book parody of the traditional nursery rhyme.
Unfortunately, this effort is just as sugary and uninspired as The Itsy Bitsy Snowman, offered by the same pair in 2015. A cheerful white bunny hops through a pastel world to distribute candy and treats for Easter but spills his baskets. A hedgehog, fox, mouse, and various birds come to the bunny’s rescue, retrieving the candy, helping to devise a distribution plan, and hiding the eggs. Then magically, they all fly off in a hot air balloon as the little animals in the village emerge to find the treats. Without any apparent purpose, the type changes color to highlight some words. For very young children every word is new, so highlighting “tiny tail” or “friends” makes no sense. Although the text is meant to be sung, the words don't quite fit the rhythm of the original song. Moreover, there are not clear motions to accompany the text; without the fingerplay movements, this book has none of the satisfying verve of the traditional version.
Leave the hopping to Peter Cottontail and sing the original song instead. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-5621-0
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
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