Sparkly mollusk fluid aside, expect a book that hits its own sweet spot fairy-ly well
Surprise birthday party? Check. Fairies? Check. Inoffensive follow-the-line conceit? Check and check!
One evening a brown-skinned fairy awakens to find the following invitation: “Follow the silvery snail. / You’ll find a surprise at the end of the trail.” Intrigued, Felicity pursues the unexpectedly speedy gastropod as its silvery slime zigzags through spiderwebs, foxgloves, and even beehives. Insect friends come along at Felicity’s invitation, and when the final spread is revealed, it is (you guessed it) a surprise birthday party for Felicity. Putting aside the quibble that the entire conceit of the book rests entirely on the fact that the protagonist and readers are following a line of glittery snail mucous, the real star of the show isn’t the text (which is sufficient, if a bit pedantic) but rather the clever patterns created by the snail’s residue, which is indicated with embossed sparkles. The art itself is a digitally sweet confection that never quite tips over into the saccharine. Children with a penchant for follow-the-line books and fans of any and all things fairy will find these needs met, if only just.
Sparkly mollusk fluid aside, expect a book that hits its own sweet spot fairy-ly well . (Picture book. 2-4)Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-7636-8945-2
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
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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