Beginning birding at its best, this pleasing presentation is ideal for families with preschoolers but would work well for...
A birding primer and rhyming introduction to 20 familiar birds.
Poet and nature lover VanDerwater opens her introduction with four lines that invite a young audience to join her explorations: “Every day we watch for birds / weaving through our sky. / We listen to their calls and songs. / We like to see them fly.” She goes on to introduce 20 North American birds, representing common groups, with well-formed rhyming couplets. Each bird is presented on a single page along with one memorable characteristic: “NUTHATCH perches upside-down”; “GOOSE flies in a V.” She’s chosen birds preschoolers are likely to notice, birds they’ll encounter outside their windows and in their yards—chickadees, cardinals, and sparrows—and birds they might see on trips to parks and beaches—hawks, herons, gulls. Throughout, and appropriately for her very young audience, she’s used a single word to name the bird: jay for blue jay, finch for a goldfinch. Metrano’s bold cut-paper illustrations show identifiable birds in appropriate poses against a clean, solid-color background, with just a hint of their likely habitat. This inviting introduction concludes with the poem as a whole and additional facts about each bird family next to thumbnail reproductions of each image.
Beginning birding at its best, this pleasing presentation is ideal for families with preschoolers but would work well for storytime, too. (Informational picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Feb. 23, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-545-69980-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Orchard
Review Posted Online: Nov. 2, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2015
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes.
A lift-the-flap book gives the littlest trick-or-treaters some practice identifying partygoers under their costumes.
Little Blue Truck and his buddy Toad are off to a party, and they invite readers (and a black cat) along for the ride: “ ‘Beep! Beep! Beep!’ / says Little Blue. / ‘It’s Halloween!’ / You come, too.” As they drive, they are surprised (and joined) by many of their friends in costume. “Who’s that in a tutu / striking a pose / up on the tiniest / tips of her toes? / Under the mask / who do you see?” Lifting the flap unmasks a friend: “ ‘Quack!’ says the duck. / ‘It’s me! It’s me!’ ” The sheep is disguised as a clown, the cow’s a queen, the pig’s a witch, the hen and her chick are pirates, and the horse is a dragon. Not to be left out, Little Blue has a costume, too. The flaps are large and sturdy, and enough of the animals’ characteristic features are visible under and around the costumes that little ones will be able to make successful guesses even on the first reading. Lovely curvy shapes and autumn colors fade to dusky blues as night falls, and children are sure to notice the traditional elements of a Halloween party: apple bobbing, lit jack-o’-lanterns, and punch and treats.
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-544-77253-3
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
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Sure to have little ones giggling.
Jacques is a hedgehog with a big secret: “I wear real, bona fide underwear.”
Our narrator received a mysterious package one day; an illustration shows a pair of underwear tied to a balloon with a note “from the Universe” floating down into Jacques’ burrow. Hedgehogs don’t wear underwear, however. Will Jacques be shunned? Jacques worries but comes to a decision: “I have to wear them. When I do I feel special.” Determined, Jacques, who’s been invited to a party, makes a dramatic entrance, with undies in hand. Jacques’ declaration (“I WEAR UNDERWEAR”) is met with remarks of dismay, before another hedgehog opens up about similar fears and shows off a pair of cowboy boots. More hedgehogs introduce themselves with their own confessions. The story ends with Jacques unveiling a painting of the underwear in a gallery filled with hedgehogs wearing all sorts of attire. Though the book is simple in plot, characters, and setting, it wins in its balance of bathroom humor, dramatic storytelling, and celebrations of individual expression. French words are peppered throughout, adding to the fun without detracting from the story for those unfamiliar with the language. The cartoonish illustrations brim with fun; Valdez relies heavily on geometric shapes (triangle noses for the hedgehogs; huge circles for their eyes). Details such as speech bubbles and recurring turtle and snake characters contribute to the outlandish humor.
Sure to have little ones giggling. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: April 1, 2025
ISBN: 9781250814388
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025
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