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JUMP INTO FALL!

A pleasant and warm trip in to fall.

A brown bear celebrates the season.

“Golden, orange, red, and brown, / seen on trees throughout the town.” Rhyming couplets that evoke the sights and smells of autumn accompany orange-hued double-page spreads that make up this cute ode to fall. A cuddly bear jumps into a glittery pile of leaves on the last page, and a large series of concentric cutouts that goes from the cover to the final page makes that final scene the focus of the whole book. These holes muck up the compositions a bit, as there’s always a large black hole on the verso framing whatever’s in the reader’s environment as a distraction. Regardless, the text is warm and evocative of the best days of fall, when there are leaves to rake, pies to eat, and kites to fly. The bears playing in the autumn weather evoke fluffy teddy bears, instantly appealing to little ones.

A pleasant and warm trip in to fall. (Board book. 1-2)

Pub Date: July 5, 2016

ISBN: 978-1-4998-0298-6

Page Count: 12

Publisher: Little Bee Books

Review Posted Online: Aug. 1, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017

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HOP! HOP!

As bright and bold as the holiday it celebrates.

An excited little one celebrates Easter.

The Easter Bunny is on its way, and Patricelli’s one-haired tot is thrilled. He prepares for the holiday by painting eggs and making bunny ears. On the big day, he excitedly looks for Easter eggs while his parents watch. The bold, rounded illustrations catch the eye, with a wide range of colors used throughout. The author pays a little lip service toward education by showing primary colors combining to create secondary colors, but the book's main focus is the exuberance that comes with celebrating the holiday, particularly when the traditions are so new and exciting. The enthusiasm is infectious, and read-alouds will most likely lead to little ones’ looking to do some arts and crafts of their very own.

As bright and bold as the holiday it celebrates. (Board book. 1-2)

Pub Date: Feb. 10, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-7636-6319-3

Page Count: 26

Publisher: Candlewick

Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2015

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CRUNCH! MUNCH! BUNNY

Sounds like a winner, though the animal chorus is a bit thin.

Bunny hunts for carrots but finds noisy animal babies behind each flap instead.

“Bunny hops out of her burrow, / she’s looking for carrots to eat. / Can you help this fluffy friend / find a tasty treat?” The baaas, quacks, chirps, and horsey clip-clopping—activated by light as each of the first four big, shaped flaps lift—are gratifyingly loud and clear. All of the animal figures in the bright color pictures are intensely cute plush toys inserted into simple outdoorsy mixes of painted greenery and photographed flowers and bugs. Even the heaped carrots hiding behind the fifth and final flap are soft and fuzzy, though you’d never know that from the sound as Bunny hops on them (with a really loud boing) and chows down with crunches so comically amplified and rapid that caregivers too will laugh (at least the first dozen or so go-rounds). As no pressing of buttons is required to cue the sound effects, Bunny’s miniodyssey is suited to sharing at a slight remove with groups of toddlers as well as one-on-one. Batteries are replaceable, and there is (thankfully) an on-off switch on the rear cover.

Sounds like a winner, though the animal chorus is a bit thin. (Novelty board book. 18 mos.-2)

Pub Date: Jan. 8, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-4654-7853-5

Page Count: 12

Publisher: DK Publishing

Review Posted Online: Dec. 15, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2019

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