A delight.
Chew-proof, rip-proof, nontoxic, washable, and utterly charming!
This newest offering, along with companion Things That Go!, in the highly practical Indestructibles series delights and informs while withstanding all the punishment exuberant young readers can inflict. Tough, tightly bound, floppy pages stand up to grabby hands, drool, gums and teeth, food, spills, and even a dunk in the tub. Wild, domestic, and barnyard animals, appealingly rendered in bold, vibrant colors, stand out against brightly colored backgrounds as they enjoy many of baby’s favorite activities: playing, eating, making noise, and snuggling. The front cover and the final two pages pair baby animals with parents, but for most of the book, it’s babies all the way. Each infant is identified by the type of animal it is and the proper term for babies of that species—the requisite cubs and calves, for example, but also some joeys and a hatchling. Artist Lomp imbues every animal with personality. The babies are carefree and social at play, jumping, cavorting in mud, or gazing in wonder at a dandelion. They eat with purpose and gusto. When noisy, they sing in joyous, cacophonous concert. When they snuggle, babes and parents alike look happy, peaceful, and content. While the charm factor in Things That Go! is less pronounced, it offers a nifty variety of transportation modes, including biplane, blimp, and scooter, driven and ridden by cheery humans of diverse races and genders.
A delight. (Board book. 6 mos.-2)Pub Date: April 4, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7611-9308-1
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Workman
Review Posted Online: April 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
Beautiful, remarkable, amazing, and wonderful in every way.
Hector wants to be a deep-sea diver, just like his father and grandfather.
He has internalized all his grandfather’s tales, especially the story of the “rarest, whitest, and purist pearl in the world,” said to live on the seabed offshore near the Marina, their family business. But the greedy Amedeo Limonta has set up a competitive business that’s forced the Marina to close. When Hector turns 8, everything changes. On his very first dive, he discovers the magical Pearl and brings it home…and complications ensue. Hector heeds his memories and dreams of his grandfather and courageously makes it all right. Hector narrates his adventures in meticulously organized chapters, carefully introducing each character, providing detailed information about relationships and events, and sharing credit for his successes. At the conclusion Hector presents readers with vivid descriptions of his beloved village and its inhabitants. Sabatinelli provides Hector with a voice that soars with lilting, expressive language, losing nothing in Turner’s translation from Italian. Bruno’s intensely bright, sharply hued illustrations are a tour de force. A chart of semaphore flags and diagrams that detail the parts of a diving suit fill the opening pages, and those flags head each chapter. The sea is evoked with glorious dreamlike color and movement, and characters’ features and expressions immediately announce their nature, emotions, and quirks. All present White. Hector is wise, kind, and readers will take him to their hearts.
Beautiful, remarkable, amazing, and wonderful in every way. (Adventure. 6-12)Pub Date: Oct. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-63655-006-0
Page Count: 92
Publisher: Red Comet Press
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2021
PERSPECTIVES
An upbeat early book on feelings with a simple storyline that little ones will respond to.
This simplified version of Diesen and Hanna’s The Pout-Pout Fish (2008) is appropriate for babies and toddlers.
Brief, rhyming text tells the story of a sullen fish cheered up with a kiss. A little pink sea creature pokes his head out of a hole in the sea bottom to give the gloomy fish some advice: “Smile, Mr. Fish! / You look so down // With your glum-glum face / And your pout-pout frown.” He explains that there’s no reason to be worried, scared, sad or mad and concludes: “How about a smooch? / And a cheer-up wish? // Now you look happy: / What a smile, Mr. Fish!” Simple and sweet, this tale offers the lesson that sometimes, all that’s needed for a turnaround in mood is some cheer and encouragement to change our perspective. The clean, uncluttered illustrations are kept simple, except for the pout-pout fish’s features, which are delightfully expressive. Little ones will easily recognize and likely try to copy the sad, scared and angry looks that cross the fish’s face.
An upbeat early book on feelings with a simple storyline that little ones will respond to. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-374-37084-8
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
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