Alphabet books are plentiful, but this charmer is a standout.
Clever rhyming couplets and soft pastel illustrations make for an amusing alphabet book in author/illustrator Strauss’ picture book debut.
Without bothering with the “A is for...” structure, Strauss launches into a silly poem about dancing ants to introduce the letter A. The next page is graced by a polka-dot butterfly, drawn, it appears, in a combination of paint and stamp art. Each poem scans well, varying rhyme schemes and rhythm structure. Many of the choices are general and familiar, such as eagles for E and lion for L. Others are unusual: mongoose, veery (a songbird), xyphosura (horseshoe crab). Several illustrations are realistic, with lovely detail (especially the frog’s bog); others are more fancifully rendered: Both the calico cat and the donkey look more like stuffed animals, with textile-inspired patterns on their coats. The images are intriguing and done in a mix of styles that look painted or sketched and filled in with colored pencils. The page layouts place the text into the pictures with a large border around each page featuring a letter. Full of interesting vocabulary words (“paisley,” “sedentary”), older readers will find some challenge, while lap readers will enjoy the rhymes.
Alphabet books are plentiful, but this charmer is a standout.Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-64138-170-3
Page Count: 34
Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
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