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JAMMY DANCE

Name: JAMMY DANCE
Author: Rebecca Janni
ISBN: 978-0-374-33680-6

by Rebecca Janni & illustrated by Tracy Dockray ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 14, 2012

With the glut of sleepy-time stories out there, this offering does not bring much new to the bedside table

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Going to bed doesn’t rank high on most children’s lists of favorite activities, and Janni and Dockray’s attempt to transform the nighttime routine into a rollicking good time is something of a snooze.

Aided by their parents, a brother and sister end their bath and go through the steps of drying off, putting on their jammies, brushing hair and teeth and so on, until they go to sleep. The text is characterized by forced, rhyming verse that will likely leave parents stumbling to read it aloud—for example, “Don’t you know, takes two to untangle— / Mom’ll dance from any angle,” and “Dad is callin’, ‘Little folks-a. / Time to do the p.j. polka!’ ” Equally undistinguished art awkwardly eschews rules of anatomic proportionality and fails to settle in a particular style: Pictures are sketchy and loose in some elements and more controlled and representational in others, resulting in uneven execution. As the book ends, the siblings share the same bed even though the text has them “[s]nuggled close inside [their] beds.” This final misstep provokes confusion in an already flawed overall package.

With the glut of sleepy-time stories out there, this offering does not bring much new to the bedside table . (Picture book. 1-4)

Pub Date: Feb. 14, 2012

ISBN: 978-0-374-33680-6

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Review Posted Online: Dec. 2, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2011

Categories:

CHILDREN'S FAMILY

- BOOK REVIEW
EVERY COWGIRL GOES TO SCHOOL
by Rebecca Janni ; illustrated by Lynne Avril

- BOOK REVIEW
EVERY COWGIRL LOVES A RODEO
by Rebecca Janni & illustrated by Lynne Avril

- BOOK REVIEW
EVERY COWGIRL NEEDS DANCING BOOTS
by Rebecca Janni & illustrated by Lynne Avril

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LLAMA LLAMA SHAPES

From the Learning With Llama Llama series

developed by Anna Dewdney ; illustrated by JT Morrow ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 7, 2023

An invitation for readers to learn through observation.

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Llama Llama and Mama spot different shapes at the farmers market.

Dewdney’s iconic llama stars in this board book, a part of the Learning With Llama Llama series. The story showcases five shapes: rectangles, squares, triangles, circles, and stars. Rather than simply showing the shapes and naming them, illustrator Morrow embeds them inside scenes from the farmers market. Each page turn uncovers a different shape. Signage and a shopping bag pop as rectangles, while umbrellas, a slice of watermelon, and the peaks of the tents form triangles. Shapes that appeared on previous pages are visible even as the story progresses, and the final page helps readers revisit and recall shapes they’ve already found. There are plenty of engaging details to keep readers looking, including other animal shoppers, kite-flying, and sudden, surprising rain. The text is concise, and each spread features a simple question inviting participation. This title is more captivating than other shape concept books, especially those that show block-colored shapes without context. Llama Llama’s popularity will make this a hit with fans, and readers looking for substance will find it. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

An invitation for readers to learn through observation. (Board book. 1-3)

Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2023

ISBN: 978-0-593-46509-7

Page Count: 14

Publisher: Viking

Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2022

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

- BOOK REVIEW
LLAMA LLAMA'S LITTLE LIE
by Anna Dewdney & Reed Duncan ; illustrated by JT Morrow

- BOOK REVIEW
LLAMA LLAMA BACK TO SCHOOL
by Anna Dewdney & Reed Duncan ; illustrated by JT Morrow

- BOOK REVIEW
LLAMA LLAMA MEETS THE BABYSITTER
by Anna Dewdney & Reed Duncan ; illustrated by JT Morrow

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THE ABCS OF LOVE

by Rose Rossner ; illustrated by AndoTwin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 1, 2020

Perfect for Valentine’s Day, but the syrupy sweetness will cloy after the holiday.

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Animal parents declare their love for their offspring in alphabetical order.

Each page displays an enormous capital letter, one line of verse with the keyword capitalized, and a loving nonhuman parent gazing adoringly at their baby. “A is for Always. I always love you more. / B is for Butterfly kisses. It’s you that I adore.” While not named or labelled as such, the A is also for an alligator and its hatchling and B is for a butterfly and a butterfly child (not a caterpillar—biology is not the aim of this title) interacting in some way with the said letter. For E there are an elephant and a calf; U features a unicorn and foal; and X, keyed to the last letter of the animal’s name, corresponds to a fox and three pups. The final double-page spread shows all the featured creatures and their babies as the last line declares: “Baby, I love you from A to Z!” The verse is standard fare and appropriately sentimental. The art is cartoony-cute and populated by suitably loving critters on solid backgrounds. Hearts accent each scene, but the theme of the project is never in any doubt.

Perfect for Valentine’s Day, but the syrupy sweetness will cloy after the holiday. (Board book. 1-3)