Simple text and charming illustrations make this an appealing introduction to some of the world’s many languages and...
Intrepid Hippo travels the world, making new friends everywhere he lands.
Simple declarative statements introduce children to greetings in eight languages. They learn that to say hello, Hippo “says ‘Bonjour!’ in France.” He says “Privyet!” in Russia, “Al Salaamu Alaykum!” in Egypt, “Namaste!” in India, “Ni hao!” in China, “Konnichiwa!” in Japan and “¡Hola!” in Argentina. Pronunciation help is provided in brackets below the primary text. Each illustration features Hippo greeting friends in a setting evocative of the particular country he’s visiting. For example, he sits at a cafe table with the Eiffel Tower in the background in France and perches atop a cheery elephant next to a fountain in a courtyard in India. Perpetually smiling Hippo is decked out in a green striped shirt and orange shorts and accompanied by a tiny, bright red bird. At the end, “Hippo’s Travel Map!” shows red stars marking all the places Hippo has visited as he waves jauntily from the old-fashioned plane he pilots across the page. In the companion title, How Gator Says Good-bye!, Gator visits the same countries Hippo does, only he is shown saying goodbye instead of hello, and the featured scene for each country is different.
Simple text and charming illustrations make this an appealing introduction to some of the world’s many languages and cultures. (Board book. 2-5)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4549-0820-3
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Sterling
Review Posted Online: Feb. 18, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Parents of toddlers starting school or day care should seek separation-anxiety remedies elsewhere, and fans of the original...
A sweetened, condensed version of the best-selling picture book, The Kissing Hand.
As in the original, Chester Raccoon is nervous about attending Owl’s night school (raccoons are nocturnal). His mom kisses him on the paw and reminds him, “With a Kissing Hand… / We’ll never be apart.” The text boils the story down to its key elements, causing this version to feel rushed. Gone is the list of fun things Chester will get to do at school. Fans of the original may be disappointed that this board edition uses a different illustrator. Gibson’s work is equally sentimental, but her renderings are stiff and flat in comparison to the watercolors of Harper and Leak. Very young readers will probably not understand that Owl’s tree, filled with opossums, a squirrel, a chipmunk and others, is supposed to be a school.
Parents of toddlers starting school or day care should seek separation-anxiety remedies elsewhere, and fans of the original shouldn’t look to this version as replacement for their page-worn copies. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: April 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-933718-77-4
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Tanglewood Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
For toddlers unafraid of typical Halloween imagery.
A troop of cats traverse a spooky landscape as they make their way to a party hosted by ghosts.
Each double-page spread shows the felines’ encounters with the likes of an owl, jack-o’-lanterns or a bat. One or two of these creepy meetings may be too abstract for the youngest readers, as the cats hear eerie noises with no discernible source on the page. The text, which consists of one rhyming couplet per scene, mostly scans despite a couple of wobbles: “Five black cats get a bit of a scare / As the flip-flapping wings of a bat fill the air.” The sleek, slightly retro art, likely created using a computer, depicts the cats cavorting at night through a shadowy cityscape, the countryside and a haunted house; they may scare some toddlers and delight others. A brighter color palette would have given the project a friendlier, more universal appeal. Luckily, the well-lit, final party scene provides a playful conclusion.
For toddlers unafraid of typical Halloween imagery. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-58925-611-8
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: Sept. 24, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2014
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