A book that will engage young readers with its unusual creatures and may inspire them to create their own.
A host of strange and delightful creatures made from seeds, leaves and vines populates the pages of this first children’s book by the Masons (Recovering from the War, 1998).
As the book opens, the letter A, in upper- and lowercase, introduces Andy Acorncap, a strange creature made primarily of acorns, acorn caps and vines. For the letter B, the book offers small birds made of pine cones, twigs and other natural “litter.” And so the alphabet continues, each letter introducing a strange new version of a particular creature. Some are meant to represent real animals, such as birds, a caterpillar and owls; others are named after plants or trees, such as the Evergreens, who look like they are wearing flowing pine-needle capes, or the Magnoliacone, with its long beak and acorn eyes). The intriguing creatures are the book’s primary draw, but the first two descriptions start an alliterative trend that’s sadly dropped by the letter C: “Andy Acorncap ambled along. / The Bird babies be-bopped behind. / Clarice the Caterpillar inched along, singing a song.” Since the creatures aren’t instantly recognizable, the alliterative verbs might have helped younger readers identify the repeated sounds. A zigzag alphabet on the Z page provides a challenge for the preschool crowd, as they’re asked to trace a path from one lowercase letter to the next until they’ve traced the whole alphabet in order. Notes at the end share facts about the different plants and creatures, which vary from the useful (“Zygodactylic means two toes pointing forward and two pointing back”) to the fictional (“Unicorns do have blue horns”). A final page points out the different parts that make up each creature and the types of materials that Mason used to create them. Overall, the book may be less useful as an alphabet book than as an enticement to go out into nature and gather materials for crafts.
A book that will engage young readers with its unusual creatures and may inspire them to create their own.Pub Date: June 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1892220103
Page Count: 34
Publisher: Patience Press
Review Posted Online: June 18, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A nice but not requisite purchase.
A retelling of the classic fairy tale in board-book format and with a Mexican setting.
Though simplified for a younger audience, the text still relates the well-known tale: mean-spirited stepmother, spoiled stepsisters, overworked Cinderella, fairy godmother, glass slipper, charming prince, and, of course, happily-ever-after. What gives this book its flavor is the artwork. Within its Mexican setting, the characters are olive-skinned and dark-haired. Cultural references abound, as when a messenger comes carrying a banner announcing a “FIESTA” in beautiful papel picado. Cinderella is the picture of beauty, with her hair up in ribbons and flowers and her typically Mexican many-layered white dress. The companion volume, Snow White, set in Japan and illustrated by Misa Saburi, follows the same format. The simplified text tells the story of the beautiful princess sent to the forest by her wicked stepmother to be “done away with,” the dwarves that take her in, and, eventually, the happily-ever-after ending. Here too, what gives the book its flavor is the artwork. The characters wear traditional clothing, and the dwarves’ house has the requisite shoji screens, tatami mats and cherry blossoms in the garden. The puzzling question is, why the board-book presentation? Though the text is simplified, it’s still beyond the board-book audience, and the illustrations deserve full-size books.
A nice but not requisite purchase. (Board book/fairy tale. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-7915-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Playful, engaging, and full of opportunities for empathy—a raucous storytime hit.
Readers try to dislodge a monster from the pages of this emotive and interactive read-aloud.
“OH NO!” the story starts. “There’s a monster in your book!” The blue, round-headed monster with pink horns and a pink-tipped tail can be seen cheerfully munching on the opening page. “Let’s try to get him out,” declares the narrator. Readers are encouraged to shake, tilt, and spin the book around, while the monster careens around an empty background looking scared and lost. Viewers are exhorted to tickle the monster’s feet, blow on the page, and make a really loud noise. Finally, shockingly, it works: “Now he’s in your room!” But clearly a monster in your book is safer than a monster in your room, so he’s coaxed back into the illustrations and lulled to sleep, curled up under one page and cuddling a bit of another like a child with their blankie. The monster’s entirely cute appearance and clear emotional reactions to his treatment add to the interactive aspect, and some young readers might even resist the instructions to avoid hurting their new pal. Children will be brought along on the monster’s journey, going from excited, noisy, and wiggly to calm and steady (one can hope).
Playful, engaging, and full of opportunities for empathy—a raucous storytime hit. (Picture book. 2-7)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5247-6456-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: June 4, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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