Mushy but endearing.
Take a tour around the world and learn to say “I love you” with 15 different parent-child animal pairs.
Representative animals from different countries profess their affection in different languages, while small, somewhat obscured placards identify their countries of origin. Phonetic pronunciations underneath each statement (including “I love you”) assist with possibly unfamiliar words. This is especially helpful in a companion volume, Merry Christmas, World, as some phrases are rather long. Animals and countries are nicely spread about the globe, opening on a Canada goose speaking English to its gosling, who responds in French; later on, a Japanese Shiba Inu whispers to its pup. Non-Roman characters are absent; all languages that employ them are rendered only in Romanized form. Cheerful backmatter showing small vignettes of each duo identifies the animal species and languages spoken, although their out-of-order display may confuse readers. Dense, multilayered art creates atmospheric backgrounds, with a plethora of colors bleeding into each other, and Szmidt renders the mostly realistic animals with visible lines, like a neatly filled-in coloring book. With steadfast eye contact between parent and child, snuggly poses (a fox kit is wrapped in a fluffy tail), and even tigers and king cobras looking warm and fuzzy, it’s a little precious, but it suits the subject matter. The Christmas book suffers without the parent-child relationship, as the added presents or Santa hats are cute but not as compelling.
Mushy but endearing. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4867-1672-2
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Flowerpot Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 25, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2019
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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