by Lynn Maslen Kertell & illustrated by Sue Hendra ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 2012
Brand-new readers need very easy stories with familiar situations that they can read over and over. The Bob Books still...
The Bob Books, long a staple in little square boxed sets for preschoolers, are now available in an early-reader format.
Big sister Anna and her brother Jack want a dog. Mom and Dad explain all the work a new dog will require. A trip to the Pet Shelter allows the family to pick out their new brown dog, Buddy. The two kids find their new canine friend has more energy than their house can contain. The easy solution—a trip to the park—tires out both Buddy and his new owners. Written by the daughter of the original Bob Book designers, this is sturdy and utilitarian. With both sight words and words that require basic decoding skills, these books are aimed directly at the young child who wants to pick up and read a book from start to finish. On the last pages are flash cards, ready to cut out, showing a word on one side and a picture and sentence from the book using that word on the other. Jack and Anna are drawn with a little more detail than their predecessors, including colored clothing and background. The friendly typeface is easy to read and clear. Kindergarten teachers and parents of children on the cusp of reading will find this series helpful.
Brand-new readers need very easy stories with familiar situations that they can read over and over. The Bob Books still deliver, even if they don't have much pizzazz. (Early reader. 4-6)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-545-38268-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 20, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2012
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by John Segal and illustrated by John Segal ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2011
Echoes of Runaway Bunny color this exchange between a bath-averse piglet and his patient mother. Using a strategy that would probably be a nonstarter in real life, the mother deflects her stubborn offspring’s string of bath-free occupational conceits with appeals to reason: “Pirates NEVER EVER take baths!” “Pirates don’t get seasick either. But you do.” “Yeesh. I’m an astronaut, okay?” “Well, it is hard to bathe in zero gravity. It’s hard to poop and pee in zero gravity too!” And so on, until Mom’s enticing promise of treasure in the deep sea persuades her little Treasure Hunter to take a dive. Chunky figures surrounded by lots of bright white space in Segal’s minimally detailed watercolors keep the visuals as simple as the plotline. The language isn’t quite as basic, though, and as it rendered entirely in dialogue—Mother Pig’s lines are italicized—adult readers will have to work hard at their vocal characterizations for it to make any sense. Moreover, younger audiences (any audiences, come to that) may wonder what the piggy’s watery closing “EUREKA!!!” is all about too. Not particularly persuasive, but this might coax a few young porkers to get their trotters into the tub. (Picture book. 4-6)
Pub Date: March 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-399-25425-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: Jan. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2011
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by Margarita del Mazo ; illustrated by Silvia Álvarez ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 10, 2015
Too many bugs, figuratively.
Lucy, “the youngest member of a family of fireflies,” must overcome an irrational, moon-induced anxiety in order to leave her family tree trunk and glow.
The first six pages pull readers into a lush, beautiful world of nighttime: “When the sun has set, silence falls over the Big Forest, and all of the nighttime animals wake up.” Mixed media provide an enchanting forest background, with stylized flora and fauna eventually illuminated by a large, benign moon, because the night “doesn’t like to catch them by surprise.” Turning the page catches readers by surprise, though: the family of fireflies is decidedly comical and silly-looking. Similarly, the text moves from a lulling, magical cadence to a distinct shift in mood as the bugs ready themselves for their foray into the night: “They wave their bottoms in the air, wiggle their feelers, take a deep, deep breath, and sing, ‘Here we go, it’s time to glow!’ ” It’s an acceptable change, but more unevenness follows. Lucy’s excitement about finally joining the other bugs turns to “sobbing” two nights in a row. Instead of directly linking her behavior to understandable reactions of children to newness, the text undermines itself by making Lucy’s parents’ sweet reassurances impotent and using the grandmother’s scientific explanation of moonlight as an unnecessary metaphor. Further detracting from the story, the text becomes ever denser and more complex over the book’s short span.
Too many bugs, figuratively. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Nov. 10, 2015
ISBN: 978-84-16147-00-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Cuento de Luz
Review Posted Online: July 21, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2015
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