While both titles utilize vibrant photos and easy-to-open flaps, First Numbers is the more successful offering of the two.
A straightforward, clear counting book for little ones.
On each page, the direct text asks readers how many of each object are pictured, starting with one cupcake and continuing up to 10 buttons. The exterior of a flap that takes up much of the page shows photographs of one cupcake, two kittens, three butterflies and so on. The inside of the flap reveals the object again, sometimes in a different configuration or color, along with a clear representation of the numeral. The dotted lines that show youngsters how to trace the written number with their fingers are nice features and give this title a longer shelf life. The die-cut handle at the top of the book is unnecessary, but it doesn’t interfere with the images on the internal pages. First Colors, a companion title in this series, explores colors using a nearly identical format. Readers are invited to name the color of an object on the outside of a flap and then peruse additional objects in this hue on the inside. While the photos are quite vivid and striking, there are a few missteps here and there. The “orange” starfish looks a little too brown, the yellow cordless phone is starting to look dated, and children still learning about the size and scale of things may be confused by a beetle that is nearly the size of a car tire. Health conscious parents may wonder about the inclusion of so many sugary foods (cupcakes, candy, chocolate and doughnuts).
While both titles utilize vibrant photos and easy-to-open flaps, First Numbers is the more successful offering of the two. (Board book. 18 mos.-3)Pub Date: March 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-58925-630-9
Page Count: 10
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: March 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2013
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
Peek, and you’ll find a rollicking romp here.
The favorite game of toddlers gets a dino twist.
A large dinosaur tries to outsmart a smaller companion when the duo play peekaboo together. The big dino naïvely believes they won’t be noticed behind or under sundry hiding places, but the little pal always finds their playmate. Young listeners will giggle as the large dino attempts to outwit the little one, but in vain; in every instance, the diminutive, overalls-clad dino calls out a triumphant “Peekaboo!” How come? Is it because thin tree trunks and a potted plant can’t conceal the large dino’s frame? Do the big dino’s bold, flower-print shirts stick out a mile? Even when the large dinosaur attempts an aerial hiding place, they discover that ruse doesn’t, ahem, fly, nor does hiding in a crowd wearing a Where’s Waldo?–esque red-striped cap and T-shirt do any good. In a display of good sportsmanship, the big dino concedes at the end the game was fun. The youngest audiences, all of whom will have likely engaged in marathon peekaboo sessions themselves, will undoubtedly scramble to play again. Besides stimulating playtime, this adorable board book, expressed in lilting rhymes, boosts vocabulary development through the use of some common prepositions (behind, in) and adverbs (here, there, everywhere). The illustrations are sweetly engaging; the round cutout on the front cover invites youngsters to play peekaboo games with adult partners and others. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Peek, and you’ll find a rollicking romp here. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 3, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-66592-840-3
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Boynton Bookworks
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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