A cheerfully illustrated and alliterative stroll through a child’s garden.
Young children who enjoy bright colors, cartoonlike illustrations and the pleasures of an adult reading to them will enjoy time spent in Molly’s garden. There, they are asked to consider a world filled with bumble bees, blackbirds and butterflies alongside flowers, ladybirds, snails, spiders, trees and worms—before being invited to go outside and explore their own gardens. Each of 10 two-page spreads focuses on one of Molly’s activities, all of which suggest a comfortable interaction with the natural world; whether she is balancing a butterfly in her hands, letting a ladybird land on her finger, stroking a snail’s head or watering flowers, Molly is at home in nature. The author relies on alliteration to draw this world (“Molly bends down to bond with a bumble bee … busy flying between flowers”); while this device may be a useful educational tool that engages young readers, it may prompt adult readers to wonder whether alliteration need sacrifice interest (“Molly turns toward a towering tree. This tree has a trunk that is thick and tall”) or accuracy (a white watering-can pours water over “wilting” flowers that do not appear wilted in the accompanying artwork). The illustrations offer a range of bright colors and shapes; a brighter image on the left side is mirrored by a paler image on the right where the text is located, making the printed words stand out. This may, however, leave readers looking for something more to keep their attention. The graphics are comprised of simple, rounded shapes that may be too short on detail for young readers. The story is also a bit random at times, with no particular rhyme or reason guiding the events that occur in Molly’s garden: Activities that might build a sense of a story—like each interaction with a bird, bug or flower—could have happened in any order. A well-intentioned but slender invitation to explore the natural world through sight and sound.
Pub Date: Jan. 27, 2012
ISBN: 978-1469157818
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Xlibris
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2012
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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