Good firefighters know they need to go with the Flo.
Flo, a firefighter with light brown skin and curly brown hair, knows that firefighters always have to be prepared. One night, when a call comes in to the station reporting a fire, Flo rouses her sleeping team of fighters, leads them as they quickly suit up, and gets the diverse team (and their Dalmatian) onto the firetruck. “Flashing lights shined. FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! The loud siren whined. WOOOOOOOO! The bell went CLANG! each time it rang. CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!” Arriving at the scene, the team works together to douse the flames, and Flo bravely breaks into the building to save a trapped pup and reunite it with its family. In the end, Flo and the team reward themselves by going back to bed. It’s an exciting story, and one that’s chock-full of descriptive words that will help build young readers’ vocabularies. Aiding that goal are the bold and bright digital illustrations, which have a sleek, classic vibe and make use of pops of red to keep young (and older) eyes dancing around the page. This one will be a popular choice among librarians, caregivers, and readers for years to come. Readers will be happy to have Flo in their homes day or night! (This book was reviewed digitally.)
This book’s on fire! (Picture book. 2-4)Pub Date: Oct. 11, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-8234-5157-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2022
Categories: CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S
Did you like this book?
This bedtime book offers simple rhymes, celebrates the numbers one through 10, and encourages the counting of objects.
Each double-page spread shows a different toddler-and-caregiver pair, with careful attention to different skin tones, hair types, genders, and eye shapes. The pastel palette and soft, rounded contours of people and things add to the sleepy litany of the poems, beginning with “Goodnight, one fork. / Goodnight, one spoon. / Goodnight, one bowl. / I’ll see you soon.” With each number comes a different part in a toddler’s evening routine, including dinner, putting away toys, bathtime, and a bedtime story. The white backgrounds of the pages help to emphasize the bold representations of the numbers in both written and numerical forms. Each spread gives multiple opportunities to practice counting to its particular number; for example, the page for “four” includes four bottles of shampoo and four inlaid dots on a stool—beyond the four objects mentioned in the accompanying rhyme. Each home’s décor, and the array and types of toys and accoutrements within, shows a decidedly upscale, Western milieu. This seems compatible with the patronizing author’s note to adults, which accuses “the media” of indoctrinating children with fear of math “in our country.” Regardless, this sweet treatment of numbers and counting may be good prophylaxis against math phobia.
The joys of counting combine with pretty art and homage to Goodnight Moon. (Picture book. 2-4)Pub Date: March 7, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-101-93378-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2016
Categories: CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S
Did you like this book?
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The flaxen-haired tyke makes her infamous visit to the bears’ house in this simplified adaptation.
The classic story is told with minimal text, one or two words per double-page spread. Goldilocks uses speech bubbles to describe the porridge, chairs and beds (“Too hot. / Too cold. / Just right”). The bears look bemused when they find the girl snoozing in Baby Bear’s bed, and they offer an amicable and winsome goodbye when she dashes off. The richly colored cartoons, likely created with the aid of a computer, present friendly-looking characters with oversize heads. The companion release is a stripped-down version of “Little Red Riding Hood” following the same format and style, right down to the sparkly heroine’s outfit and glittery letters employed on the cover. Youngsters unfamiliar with the story may need adult help to understand that the friendly, cross-dressing wolf has actually swallowed Grandma, since all the readers see is a “Woodsman” examining the wolf’s teeth and then sending the predator away in shame.
Out of all the titles in the series, Goldilocks’ adventures are the most cogent and age-appropriate. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Feb. 25, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-8050-9912-6
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
Categories: CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S
Did you like this book?
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2023 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
