While adult readers may wince as they try to fit vehicle pieces together and at the sometimes-stilted dialogue, creative...
Mixed-up vehicle parts encourage readers to make a helicopter or invent a tow-ambulance-copter in this inventively formatted board book.
Each page is cut into three horizontal panels. The left-hand page is sectioned into vehicle parts: wheels on the bottom, truck or plane bodies in the middle, and extras such as lights or ladders on top. Individual panels can be flipped for a mix-and-match effect. Digital illustrations are unfussy and utilize a pleasingly minimal palette of primary colors. The various drivers are a diverse crowd, with child and pet passengers along for the ride. Whereas the boldly lined vehicle pieces on the left three panels blend intuitively, the same cannot be said for the text. The right-hand page panels are divided into an action statement, a sound, and a location, occasionally yielding some awkward combinations: “I am ready / NnneeaOOwwwww / along the path.” Readers seeking a transportation concept book should look elsewhere, as combining the panels into a conventional vehicle can be a frustrating experience. Vehicle-savvy children, however, will delight in designing fantastical forms of transportation, and the sturdy cardboard pages will hold up to their enthusiastic turns. For readers who prefer exclusively airborne transit, Motor Mix: Flight showcases helicopters, rockets, and planes.
While adult readers may wince as they try to fit vehicle pieces together and at the sometimes-stilted dialogue, creative preschoolers will find plenty of interactive fun devising their next “Motor Mix.” (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Aug. 15, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4521-4838-0
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes.
A lift-the-flap book gives the littlest trick-or-treaters some practice identifying partygoers under their costumes.
Little Blue Truck and his buddy Toad are off to a party, and they invite readers (and a black cat) along for the ride: “ ‘Beep! Beep! Beep!’ / says Little Blue. / ‘It’s Halloween!’ / You come, too.” As they drive, they are surprised (and joined) by many of their friends in costume. “Who’s that in a tutu / striking a pose / up on the tiniest / tips of her toes? / Under the mask / who do you see?” Lifting the flap unmasks a friend: “ ‘Quack!’ says the duck. / ‘It’s me! It’s me!’ ” The sheep is disguised as a clown, the cow’s a queen, the pig’s a witch, the hen and her chick are pirates, and the horse is a dragon. Not to be left out, Little Blue has a costume, too. The flaps are large and sturdy, and enough of the animals’ characteristic features are visible under and around the costumes that little ones will be able to make successful guesses even on the first reading. Lovely curvy shapes and autumn colors fade to dusky blues as night falls, and children are sure to notice the traditional elements of a Halloween party: apple bobbing, lit jack-o’-lanterns, and punch and treats.
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-544-77253-3
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
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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