Because putting a toddler to bed isn’t just an art—it’s fine art.
Art, poetry, and peekaboo are a winning combination in this bedtime board-book diversion.
Authors Appel and Guglielmo present six great works of art accompanied by rhymed text that sounds like Goodnight Moon outtakes, organized around themes of nighttime and sleep. The titular Starry Night in question, for example, is Vincent van Gogh’s famous explosion of luminescent yellows against a field of swirling blues and black: “Goodnight glowing moon up high… / Goodnight stars. Goodnight sky.” Subsequent rhymes and artwork are presented in four-page increments—one line of verse against a constellation-filled background facing a solid field of color with a die-cut hole and an inviting “Peek-a-boo, baby,” for example, or “Peek-a-boo, moon!” Turning the page reveals the second half of the rhyme on verso and, on recto, the full painting previewed in the peekaboo frame a page earlier. Other featured works are Berthe Morisot’s The Cradle, Henri Rousseau’s The Sleeping Gypsy, Franz Marc’s The White Cat, Diego Rivera’s Delfina and Dimas, and van Gogh’s The Bedroom. The peekaboo pages break the flow of the rhyme scheme a bit, and one could argue the relative merits of less peekaboo and more artwork, but children will no doubt enjoy the game of preview-and-reveal. Less sophisticated and ambitious than Shana Gozansky’s My Art Book of Sleep (2019) but well worthwhile.
Because putting a toddler to bed isn’t just an art—it’s fine art. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-32498-3
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 9, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
Look around and see all there is to see! (Picture book. 2-4)
Dance, sing and look around!
A mother and her baby dance and sing together while looking out the window into the vibrant garden below over the course of a few hours. The whimsical chant-and-play pages are replete with onomatopoeia ("Let's go, baby-o, / you and me. / To the wibble, / To the wobble, / To the cha-cha-cha," they chant as they imitate a cat about to pounce). They alternate with a depiction of the mother and her son looking into the garden, accompanied by the lines, “Look out the window. What can you see?” Young readers will find the goings-on in the garden hard to resist, as they spot the different actions, changes and details. This tale is meant to be interactive, and adult readers are encouraged to create their own jingles and dances and to question their youngsters in a note on the first page. Colorful illustrations with just the right amount of detail contrast the cozy indoor world of mother and son with that of the riotous garden outside. Though the rhythm here is sometimes a little bumpy and uneven, this simple and understated selection is a good choice for encouraging the young to dance, sing, observe and comment on the world around them.
Look around and see all there is to see! (Picture book. 2-4)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-174237-564-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Review Posted Online: June 5, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2012
Attracted by the little tulle tutu on the cover, little ones seeking a ballet-themed tale may be disappointed, but this...
Taylor, with a recognizably preschool fashion sense, wears her tutu everywhere.
The text is a to-the-point list of some of the places Taylor sports her bright pink garment and includes, in dialogue, the bemused comments of her long-suffering family members and friends: “Not again!” Watercolor scenes that stretch across both pages depict a lively preschool girl in said tutu as she sleds, shops, sleeps and even swims (but does little ballet). Nakata’s loose and buoyant watercolors capture Taylor’s eclectic style as she pairs the tutu with cowboy boots, snow pants and pajamas, until she finally grows tired of it and finds a substitute. While the girl’s suburban family is Caucasian, a little more diversity would have been welcome in the depiction of her friends.
Attracted by the little tulle tutu on the cover, little ones seeking a ballet-themed tale may be disappointed, but this outing will resonate with any youngster who has worn a favorite outfit to shreds. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Feb. 12, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-307-97698-7
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Robin Corey/Random
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2013
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