With its unique, oversized format (15 7/8 x 19 3/8), My Big Dictionary is touted as the first large-format dictionary available for the preschool and kindergarten set. While the concept sounds appealing and the aims are high (a list of ten activities for parents and teachers to do with children appears on the inside front cover), one wonders whether there is more hype than substance here. For one thing, the oversized format is actually unwieldy and hard to handle; young children will need help with it—which may be frustrating to a child who wants to ``do it myself!'' Also, the entries are rather arbitrary. The letter A has six words, while the letter B has 18. Under B there are listings for ``ballerina,'' which shows a girl dancing, and ``ballet dancer,'' which shows a boy. Need two entries so close in meaning have been included? To deal with the gender issue, it might have been better to have had the words ``ballet dancers'' and shown both boys and girls in ballet positions. There are also large drawings filled with a variety of things beginning with the letter they are meant to illustrate. Thus, the page for the letter C shows an elaborate, detailed drawing of a circus, depicting a cheetah, cows, camels, cars, clowns, Christmas trees, carriages and crows (to name just a few). While these drawings are delightful and inventive in and of themselves, one wonders about their value here. A very young child is apt to be confused by the intense, busy images and lose sight of the lesson, which is that all the words begin with a certain letter. Older children, for whom this seems more appropriate, may already have moved on to a different format, such as the American Heritage Picture Dictionary, a newly revised edition of a 1986 volume that has 900 entries and 650 illustrations. All in all, My Big Dictionary is a useful volume—but only with adult supervision. (Reference. 2-5)
Pub Date: July 1, 1994
ISBN: 0-395-66377-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1994
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A nice but not requisite purchase.
A retelling of the classic fairy tale in board-book format and with a Mexican setting.
Though simplified for a younger audience, the text still relates the well-known tale: mean-spirited stepmother, spoiled stepsisters, overworked Cinderella, fairy godmother, glass slipper, charming prince, and, of course, happily-ever-after. What gives this book its flavor is the artwork. Within its Mexican setting, the characters are olive-skinned and dark-haired. Cultural references abound, as when a messenger comes carrying a banner announcing a “FIESTA” in beautiful papel picado. Cinderella is the picture of beauty, with her hair up in ribbons and flowers and her typically Mexican many-layered white dress. The companion volume, Snow White, set in Japan and illustrated by Misa Saburi, follows the same format. The simplified text tells the story of the beautiful princess sent to the forest by her wicked stepmother to be “done away with,” the dwarves that take her in, and, eventually, the happily-ever-after ending. Here too, what gives the book its flavor is the artwork. The characters wear traditional clothing, and the dwarves’ house has the requisite shoji screens, tatami mats and cherry blossoms in the garden. The puzzling question is, why the board-book presentation? Though the text is simplified, it’s still beyond the board-book audience, and the illustrations deserve full-size books.
A nice but not requisite purchase. (Board book/fairy tale. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-7915-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
More gift book than storybook, this is a meaningful addition to nursery bookshelves
A young child explores the unlimited potential inherent in all humans.
“Have you ever wondered why you are here?” asks the second-person narration. There is no one like you. Maybe you’re here to make a difference with your uniqueness; maybe you will speak for those who can’t or use your gifts to shine a light into the darkness. The no-frills, unrhymed narrative encourages readers to follow their hearts and tap into their limitless potential to be anything and do anything. The precisely inked and colored artwork plays with perspective from the first double-page spread, in which the child contemplates a mountain (or maybe an iceberg) in their hands. Later, they stand on a ladder to place white spots on tall, red mushrooms. The oversized flora and fauna seem to symbolize the presumptively insurmountable, reinforcing the book’s message that anything is possible. This quiet read, with its sophisticated central question, encourages children to reach for their untapped potential while reminding them it won’t be easy—they will make messes and mistakes—but the magic within can help overcome falls and failures. It’s unlikely that members of the intended audience have begun to wonder about their life’s purpose, but this life-affirming mood piece has honorable intentions. The child, accompanied by an adorable piglet and sporting overalls and a bird-beaked cap made of leaves, presents white.
More gift book than storybook, this is a meaningful addition to nursery bookshelves . (Picture book. 2-8)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-946873-75-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: May 21, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2019
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