A playful romp.
Die-cut holes transform shapes into smiling critters.
Little ones are presented with some abstract lines and dots on the left-hand side of each double-page spread, accompanied by open-ended questions, such as “Who could this be?” Die-cut holes, in a variety of abstract shapes, appear on the right-hand page, and simplified faces peer out. When readers turn the page, two new animals are unveiled. An ellipse-shaped hole produces both a fish and a frog’s head, and a semicircle creates both a cat’s face and a bunny’s. With simple, inviting graphics in cheery, flat colors, Yonezu’s art steals the show. The cleverest reveal is the crosshatch shape that turns into the snout of a crocodile. On the final spread, toddlers see an unframed, smiling face accompanied by the query, “Now who’s smiling?” When youngsters close the book they see the cartoon face of a light-skinned baby grinning through the die-cut hole—it’s a pity that the introduction of this lone human character blunts the book’s inclusivity. As many toddlers (and adults) will be hard-pressed to guess what the abstract shapes will transform into, they will enjoy the die-cut format and the friendly faces inside.
A playful romp. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: May 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-988-8341-03-0
Page Count: 28
Publisher: minedition
Review Posted Online: April 12, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
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
Clear nonfiction for the very young is hard to come by, and it appears that the Look & Learn series may finally be on...
An exploration of the human body through colorful photos.
Every other double-page spread labels the individual parts on one major area: head, torso, back, arm and leg. Ethnically diverse boy-girl pairs serve as models as arrows point to specific features and captions float nearby. While the book usefully mentions rarely depicted body parts, such as eyebrow, armpit and shin, some of the directional arrows are unclear. The arrow pointing at a girl’s shoulder hits her in the upper arm, and the belly button is hard is distinguish from the stomach (both are concealed by shirts). Facts about the human body (“Guess what? You have tiny hairs in your nose that keep out dirt”) appear on alternating spreads along with photos of kids in action. Baby Animals, another title in the Look & Learn series, uses an identical format to introduce readers to seal pups, leopard cubs, elephant calves, ducklings and tadpoles. In both titles, the final spread offers a review of the information and encourages readers to match baby animals to their parents or find body parts on a photo of kids jumping on a trampoline.
Clear nonfiction for the very young is hard to come by, and it appears that the Look & Learn series may finally be on the right track despite earlier titles that were much too conceptual for the audience. (Board book. 18 mos.-3)Pub Date: Feb. 11, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4263-1483-4
Page Count: 24
Publisher: National Geographic
Review Posted Online: April 29, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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