Big Bear just can’t fall asleep.
When the tired, grouchy bear finds out about Hedgehog’s “lovey” (a small, stuffed toy with big ears), he wonders “what kind of lovey would be right for a big bear like me?” He asks many other animals about their loveys and finds out that Wolf’s is “flat and squishy like a pillow,” Sheep’s is “woolly and white,” Snake’s is a mouse (!), and Little Hare doesn’t have one yet. Illustrations are bright, colorful, and childlike, with expressive animal faces. While the concept of a soft toy to snuggle with is nearly universal, the execution in this uncredited translation from the French is incongruent and has inconsistencies. Why is Sheep the only domesticated animal included with all the other forest animals? Every animal’s lovey appears on the bottom right of the composition except for Snake’s, begging the question whether Snake’s lovey is a real mouse. The story does not clearly lead readers to understand why Big Bear decides that he wants a lovey that is “small, cuddly, soft, and white, with long ears” and chooses the living, sentient Little Hare, but it does show, as the friends cuddle together with smiles on their faces in the final double-page spread, that they are “just right.”
Expressive, colorful illustrations do not elevate this disjointed story to the status of the perfect bedtime lovey. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-988-8341-49-8
Page Count: 22
Publisher: minedition
Review Posted Online: Aug. 27, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2018
Categories: CHILDREN'S ANIMALS
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Animal parents declare their love for their offspring in alphabetical order.
Each page displays an enormous capital letter, one line of verse with the keyword capitalized, and a loving nonhuman parent gazing adoringly at their baby. “A is for Always. I always love you more. / B is for Butterfly kisses. It’s you that I adore.” While not named or labelled as such, the A is also for an alligator and its hatchling and B is for a butterfly and a butterfly child (not a caterpillar—biology is not the aim of this title) interacting in some way with the said letter. For E there are an elephant and a calf; U features a unicorn and foal; and X, keyed to the last letter of the animal’s name, corresponds to a fox and three pups. The final double-page spread shows all the featured creatures and their babies as the last line declares: “Baby, I love you from A to Z!” The verse is standard fare and appropriately sentimental. The art is cartoony-cute and populated by suitably loving critters on solid backgrounds. Hearts accent each scene, but the theme of the project is never in any doubt.
Perfect for Valentine’s Day, but the syrupy sweetness will cloy after the holiday. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-7282-2095-6
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Jan. 27, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2021
Categories: CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S FAMILY | CHILDREN'S ANIMALS
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This simple board book invites little ones to greet baby farm animals (including frog, bunny, and bee) with their corresponding sounds.
The first double-page spread greets readers with a bright yellow smiling sun and the text “Hello, Sun. / Hello, Day. / Wake up, babies. / Time to play!” Each succeeding spread has a distinct, gently patterned background, with very brief text on the verso (“Hello Puppy! / Woof Woof”). Filling up the recto is a vibrant illustration of the baby animal’s face, wide eyed and smiling, outlined in black. The final spread presents the face of a cute baby with chalky brown-gray skin, bright black eyes, and short black hair: “Goo Goo.” Babies and toddlers will enjoy looking at the baby faces, animals and human, and repeating the sounds. A companion book, Goodnight Bear, has a similar pattern of text and illustrations, though the palette is suitably darker. The moon, surprisingly, has its eyes shut, and succeeding spreads depict an owlet, a baby bat, a baby hedgehog, and other familiar nocturnal baby animals, all wide-awake and smiling. The final spread depicts a cute baby with pale skin, blond hair, and closed eyes.
It’s not exactly original, but the execution, with familiar, appealing Cabrera illustrations, is attractive and perfect for the target audience. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 17, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4998-0430-0
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
Categories: CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS
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