Form has not followed function in this counting book.
Venezuelan artist Cáceres draws her inspiration from the depictions of animals featured in hand-woven baskets created by the Ye’kuana people of southern Venezuela.
The numbers one to 10 are represented by small, simplified depictions of animals found in this region; they are crafted so as to look as though they are woven, with a pixelated effect. The text consists only of the numbers, the corresponding numerals, and the name of the animal or animals depicted. The illustrations are attractive and clean, printed on soft brown and bright-colored backgrounds. However if the animals were not labeled, it is unlikely many readers would have any idea what they represent, and some of them nevertheless fail to convey anything recognizable outside this culture. The snake, arranged in right angles instead of sinuous curves, for instance, looks far more like a decorative border element than a snake and would be hard to interpret even for adults. The concept of animal designs woven in baskets created by Indigenous artists could be interesting in context, but when isolated from the medium in which they were created, they make little visual sense. Two illustrations include images in multiple orientations, which would be impossible to weave; thus they lose the cultural tie as well as intelligibility. There are so many other warm and visually engaging counting books out there, including Cynthia Weill’s Count Me in (2012), which uses Mexican folk art, it is hard to imagine why a parent or caregiver would be drawn to this one. Backmatter includes further information on Ye’kuana baskets and culture.
Form has not followed function in this counting book. (Picture book. 2-4)Pub Date: Jan. 8, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-58089-892-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
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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