A playful excursion for young mariners.
A cavalcade of boats both realistic and whimsical.
“Old boats. New boats. / One-or-two boats. // Tall boats. Small boats. / Heave-and-haul boats.” So begins Boswell’s playful, rhythmic, and compact text. Mostov’s illustrations, which are graphically simple and pleasingly two-dimensional in dark and bold colors, depict a wide range of floating apparatuses, mostly in profile. There are human-powered boats, such as kayaks, a dinghy, and pedal-powered boats, and nature- and machine-powered vehicles, such as a few types of sailboats, submarines, a motorboat, and an airboat. As the text goes on, they grow quite fanciful and include a sailboat carried aloft by balloons and sea-horse– and flamingo-shaped vessels. Seemingly in order to cram in as many as possible, some of the pages cut the boats off in unsatisfying ways, and boat-obsessed toddlers may be disappointed they don’t see a full image of a shipwreck or a container ship. Although there’s a clichéd white, bearded sea captain with a bird on the shoulder, a diverse group of folks pilot these crafts and include multiracial crews on several boats and a brown-skinned family clad in modern gear and paddling a traditional-looking canoe.
A playful excursion for young mariners. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Feb. 25, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-63217-268-6
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Little Bigfoot/Sasquatch
Review Posted Online: Feb. 25, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2020
Chugging its way onto the bookshelves of vehicle-loving children everywhere.
Powerful locomotives, simple sentences, and vigorous sound effects propel the latest entry in the expanding Amazing Changing Pictures board-book series for toddlers.
This and companion volumes Boats Float and Fire Trucks Rescue are the latest entries in what could just as well be called the Nouns Verb series. Like Glaser’s animal-focused board books (Puppies Chase, 2017, etc.), this trio features a well-curated selection of beautiful stock photographs and short declarative sentences, assorted sounds, and occasional questions. The simple, age-appropriate text ranges from illustrative noises (“Chugga, chugga. CHOO CHOO!”) to more existential concepts: “Where does the train go? / Follow the tracks. CLICKETY-CLACK!” The sound effects make for fun reading aloud for children and caregivers alike, with easily grasped, repeatable phrases. There is a smattering of useful vocabulary in each volume and enough variety and information in each photograph to introduce other terms and concepts as well, from scenic details (mountains, rivers, and forests, for example) to the steam from the engine’s smokestack and the passengers in the train station. The book’s 14 pages are presented in two-page spreads dominated by each photo, with text arranged on thin monochromatic strips in the margin. Sound effects are set in large, bold type, reminding readers to put some oomph into their delivery. These durable books are eye-catching, engaging, and quick and painless to repeat upon request.
Chugging its way onto the bookshelves of vehicle-loving children everywhere. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: March 13, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68152-242-5
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Amicus Ink
Review Posted Online: May 27, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
While an audience of young vehicle aficionados or avid skaters might be attracted, this is a disappointing and poorly...
Learn how Zambonis clean ice in this awkwardly shaped book.
In the voice of the Zamboni, dull pronouncements about each step of the ice-cleaning process give readers a rudimentary but adequate overview of how the vehicle works. The book is cut into the shape of a Zamboni machine (and driver), but the unusual format adds nothing of substance and even detracts from the story. Each page turn removes a section of the Zamboni, but the image under the cutaway doesn’t necessarily match, creating pages with two confusingly juxtaposed scenes. Though the pages are thick, they are prone to fraying, and the edges remain sharp and jab fingers painfully, especially around the severe cuts defining the driver’s face. The pen-and-ink–style digital art is underwhelming, and attempts to make the art feel lively fall flat. A puppy sitting next to the driver is far too rabbitlike, and the American flag found on every page looks odd, as if a poor quality sticker were applied over the images. There’s a single hockey player of color; the driver and crowds are white.
While an audience of young vehicle aficionados or avid skaters might be attracted, this is a disappointing and poorly designed book . (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Aug. 28, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-338-27773-9
Page Count: 8
Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 23, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2019
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf
