A heartwarming read.
It’s playtime with papa.
“My papa is a lot of things…” says the young narrator at the start of this short picture book. As the pages turn, the titular papa is proclaimed to be a hair stylist, an astronaut, a master chef, a firefighter, and more. With each assertion, this child’s papa appears in a literal interpretation (wearing a red helmet and behind the wheel of a red race car, helmeted child riding shotgun) and then in what readers will see is the real-life situation (on his belly on the floor next to his child playing with toy cars and earnestly making “vroom” noises). This celebration of everything a father can be is illustrated with warm, rounded figures boasting deep hues that make for a comfy read. The compositions have an immediacy to them that draws readers in, close into the action. Scenarios vary from double-page spreads with imagined scenes on versos and real-life on rectos and pairs of double-page spreads, a rhythm that maintains a nice pace. The spread alluded to in the title presents two tiara-clad playmates, the dad sweetly unself-conscious in a blue ball gown, with child in pink. Both characters present white, dad with glasses and brown hair and beard; his child has hair cut in a blond pageboy and frequently wears a dress. Of course, the best thing about papa is that he is “My papa!”
A heartwarming read. (Picture book. 2-4)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-93666-970-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: blue manatee press
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A good choice for caregivers looking for a positive, uncomplicated introduction to a new baby that focuses on everything an...
A little boy exults in his new role as big brother.
Rhyming text describes the arrival of a new baby and all of the big brother’s rewarding new duties. He gets to help with feedings, diaper changes, playtime, bathtime, and naptime. Though the rhyming couplets can sometimes feel a bit forced and awkward, the sentiment is sweet, as the focus here never veers from the excitement and love a little boy feels for his tiny new sibling. The charming, uncluttered illustrations convincingly depict the growing bond between this fair-skinned, rosy-cheeked, smiling pair of boys. In the final pages, the parents, heretofore kept mostly out of view, are pictured holding the children. The accompanying text reads: “Mommy, Daddy, baby, me. / We love each other—a family!” In companion volume I Am a Big Sister, the little boy is replaced with a little girl with bows in her hair. Some of the colors and patterns in the illustrations are slightly altered, but it is essentially the same title.
A good choice for caregivers looking for a positive, uncomplicated introduction to a new baby that focuses on everything an older sibling can do to help. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Jan. 27, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-545-68886-4
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This TV rerun in board-book form has nothing new to offer.
Peppa hopes to join her classmates in a Halloween pumpkin competition in this adaptation of a story from the popular British television program Peppa Pig.
With the help of Granny and Grandpa Pig, Peppa turns her giant pumpkin, which is the size of a compact car, into a jack-o’-lantern. The trio is flummoxed when it comes time to transport the pumpkin to the competition, so they call on Miss Rabbit and her helicopter to airlift the pumpkin to the festivities as Peppa and her grandparents ride inside. Peppa arrives just in time for the contest and wins the prize for best flying pumpkin. The scenes look as if they are pulled directly from the television show, right down to the rectangular framing of some of the scenes. While the story is literally nothing new, the text is serviceable, describing the action in two to three sentences per page. The pumpkin-shaped book and orange foil cover will likely attract youngsters, whether they are Peppa fans or not.
This TV rerun in board-book form has nothing new to offer. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 30, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-33922-2
Page Count: 10
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2019
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