This newest interactive outing will please Bizzy Bear’s fans and win him some new pint-sized admirers to boot.
Bizzy Bear and his bunny friend spend an exciting day in a dinosaur theme park.
Like the other successful titles featuring Bizzy Bear (Knight’s Castle, 2015, etc.), this one depends on catchy, singsong rhymes and interactivity produced by the strategic placement of sliders and pull-tabs to capture that most elusive of beasts—the toddler’s attention. The story follows Bizzy and bunny as they enter the park, follow some large footprints, feed some roughage to a cheerful-looking red dinosaur, watch a little pink creature hatch from an egg, and finally, enjoy some grub at the Dino Diner. Toddlers will no doubt enjoy being at the center of the action as they operate the easy-to-grasp pull-tabs and sliders to make the dinosaurs move about. The detailed, boldly colored digital illustrations are also cleverly designed to pique toddlers’ interest, and the short rhyming verses—while neither subtle nor sophisticated—serve to keep the story moving at a brisk pace. Companion title Space Rocket, also boasting an interactive element on every double-page spread, follows Bizzy as he leaves Earth in a rocket to explore outer space.
This newest interactive outing will please Bizzy Bear’s fans and win him some new pint-sized admirers to boot. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7636-8170-8
Page Count: 8
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Review Posted Online: Sept. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Leave the hopping to Peter Cottontail and sing the original song instead.
An Easter-themed board-book parody of the traditional nursery rhyme.
Unfortunately, this effort is just as sugary and uninspired as The Itsy Bitsy Snowman, offered by the same pair in 2015. A cheerful white bunny hops through a pastel world to distribute candy and treats for Easter but spills his baskets. A hedgehog, fox, mouse, and various birds come to the bunny’s rescue, retrieving the candy, helping to devise a distribution plan, and hiding the eggs. Then magically, they all fly off in a hot air balloon as the little animals in the village emerge to find the treats. Without any apparent purpose, the type changes color to highlight some words. For very young children every word is new, so highlighting “tiny tail” or “friends” makes no sense. Although the text is meant to be sung, the words don't quite fit the rhythm of the original song. Moreover, there are not clear motions to accompany the text; without the fingerplay movements, this book has none of the satisfying verve of the traditional version.
Leave the hopping to Peter Cottontail and sing the original song instead. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-5621-0
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An upbeat early book on feelings with a simple storyline that little ones will respond to.
This simplified version of Diesen and Hanna’s The Pout-Pout Fish (2008) is appropriate for babies and toddlers.
Brief, rhyming text tells the story of a sullen fish cheered up with a kiss. A little pink sea creature pokes his head out of a hole in the sea bottom to give the gloomy fish some advice: “Smile, Mr. Fish! / You look so down // With your glum-glum face / And your pout-pout frown.” He explains that there’s no reason to be worried, scared, sad or mad and concludes: “How about a smooch? / And a cheer-up wish? // Now you look happy: / What a smile, Mr. Fish!” Simple and sweet, this tale offers the lesson that sometimes, all that’s needed for a turnaround in mood is some cheer and encouragement to change our perspective. The clean, uncluttered illustrations are kept simple, except for the pout-pout fish’s features, which are delightfully expressive. Little ones will easily recognize and likely try to copy the sad, scared and angry looks that cross the fish’s face.
An upbeat early book on feelings with a simple storyline that little ones will respond to. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-374-37084-8
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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