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HOW MANY LEGS?

Condescending text choices in the second part of this counting book undermine the whimsical, retro graphics.

This small, hardcover book uses brightly colored images, words, and numerals to illustrate counting from one to 10.

Initially, each number receives the same treatment: midverso is one large numeral, and underneath is its spelling, in clear, sans-serif lettering. The bold turquoise is a good choice against the stark white page. Each recto sports a colorful, block-print illustration. Above it is a small version of the turquoise numeral and the name of the pictured images, from “1 unicorn” to “10 bugs.” In between are, in ascending order, owls, ice creams, hats, kites, robots, turrets, legs (on one spider), and cakes. Appealing details such as faces on kites and berries on cakes invite eyes to linger. The second set of pages seems at first glance to invite repeated counting, again ascending from one to 10. “How many cowboys?” on the verso is perfectly matched by one cowboy on the opposite page. Unfortunately, inaccurate or values-laden adjectives are inexplicably assigned to the remaining groups from two to 10, derailing the counting objective. The page with nine birds asks, “How many squawking birds?” It shows nine closed-mouth birds, including an owl. Two mermaids (white, like the rest of the human characters) are labeled “beautiful.” Other missteps include “scary monsters” and “stylish shoes.”

Condescending text choices in the second part of this counting book undermine the whimsical, retro graphics. (Picture book. 2-4)

Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2016

ISBN: 978-1-909263-59-8

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Flying Eye Books

Review Posted Online: Nov. 2, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2015

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ANIMAL SHAPES

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

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TEN ON A TWIG

Who knew that turning the pages could be the best part of a book?

Counting down one by one, 10 birds fall off a branch.

The concept of this picture book is simple enough: 10 birds topple, slip, and dive their way off the titular twig until there is one left. The text itself echoes familiar singsong-y children’s rhymes like “Five Little Pumpkins.” While it mostly succeeds, there are some awkward spots: “5 on a twig, there used to be more… / SNAP! Don’t say a word, now there are four.” (On each page the number is both spelled out and represented as a numeral). The real scene stealer, however, is the book’s interplay between Cole’s illustrations and the physical pages themselves. In much the same way Eric Carle utilizes the pages in The Very Hungry Caterpillar to show the little critter eating its way through the week, Cole uses pages of increasing width to show how the twig grows shorter as each bird falls and marches off purposefully with the others, all headed toward verso with pieces of twig in their beaks. Stylistically, the book is captivating. The very colorful, egg-shaped birds appear on a single, thin black line on a stark white background. This backdrop stands in powerful contrast to the book’s final two pages, which are set against black negative space, a theme echoed in the book’s feather-print endpapers. The heavy, thick pages make it easy for little hands to participate. The text takes a back seat to the playful and compelling design, which is sure to delight readers.

Who knew that turning the pages could be the best part of a book? (Picture book. 2-4)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-72821-593-8

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Review Posted Online: July 13, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2020

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