Unsuccessful; look for offerings by Hervé Tullet and Betsy Snyder for better versions of this gimmick.
Two fingers can slide through the two holes cut through the book to act as stand-ins for arms or legs of the characters within.
Each scene represents a different sport, activity, or artistic pursuit, with the text a simple three-word invitation with the appropriate verb swapped in. For example, in the spread captioned “Swim with me,” a bikini-wearing swimmer floats in an inner tube as readers’ fingers act as kicking legs, and in “Walk with me,” the readers’ digits become an astronaut’s legs on a spacewalk. The gimmick works well when the fingers act as legs, with the ballet dancing, swinging at the playground, and skateboarding pages some of the most satisfying. However, it is unclear what the fingers-as-arms are supposed to do in the “Celebrate with me” party spread and the volleyball scene. Baruzzi’s highly saturated images with smooth lines feature one solo figure in each tableau. Only three people with darker-than-pale skin tones are depicted out of the 13 figures presented, and some of these activities veer toward stereotype (two of the children who look to be of African descent drum and play basketball). While the pages are thick, they are thinner than typical board-book stock and may not hold up well to robust play.
Unsuccessful; look for offerings by Hervé Tullet and Betsy Snyder for better versions of this gimmick. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: March 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-988-8341-71-9
Page Count: 24
Publisher: minedition
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019
This will have readers putting on their dancing shoes to do the “cha cha cha” with their dino-babies
It's not the first time dinosaurs have been featured in a clever Boynton board book. It seems she—and we—can't get enough.
As her fans know, Boynton has a sly wit that respects the intelligence of her young fans and amuses the adults asked to “read it again.” In this book she introduces nine dinosaurs, each of which dances in a way that seems totally appropriate for that particular species. “The blue Stegosaurus goes SHIMMY SHIMMY SHAKE. / The red Brontosaurus goes QUIVERY QUAKE.” Drawing on her experience as a children’s musician, she writes a text that trips along like a song with rhymes that make sense but don't intrude. The illustrations, typical Boynton, reflect her greeting-card background. They are cartoonish but manage to capture the unique personality of each creature. The unnamed dinosaur narrator looks genuinely distraught at not being able to name the “tiny little dino” that “goes DEEDLY DEE.” Spoiler alert: the tiny little dinosaur is probably Compsognathus and would be about the size of a small chicken. Young dinophiles would be impressed if the dinosaurologists in their lives could supply that factoid, but alas, they will have to look it up.
This will have readers putting on their dancing shoes to do the “cha cha cha” with their dino-babies . (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-8099-4
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Take it, or leave it.
A wintertime story that can be sung to the tune of “The Itsy Bitsy Spider.”
The itsy bitsy snowman and his friends are playing in the snow. They climb up a snowy hill, jump on a sled, slide fast, and zip past children skating on ice. Then, though the text tells readers that he “dodged a snowball fight,” his head becomes separated from his body. Not to worry, “out came his friends / to lend a happy hand.” In the last spread the itsy bitsy snowman stands with his mom, dad, and friends, “And everything was perfect / in his winter wonderland.” The story, intended to be read to the tune of the beloved nursery rhyme, doesn’t always quite fit the template, as in: “The itsy bitsy snowman / climbed up the snowy hill. // He jumped on a sled / and slid fast…what a thrill!” For no obvious reason, on every page one word is printed in a different color from the rest of the text. Rescek’s illustrations are bright, cheery, and cartoonlike, with an appropriate wintry pale blue as the dominant color. Though sweet and cute, there is nothing particularly fresh or new here.
Take it, or leave it. (Board book. 1-2)Pub Date: Sept. 22, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4814-4837-6
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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