Colorful, kid-friendly fun—and Momo! What more could readers want? (Board book. 2-5)
Books, blog, Instagram, and Facebook—where else can readers find Momo?
Momo, the black-and-white border collie, is back in his third hide-and-seek board book, and he is still a lot of fun to find on each page. Using a format similar to his previous two board books, author and photographer Knapp (Find Momo Coast to Coast, 2015) has Momo hiding in an enjoyable variety of settings, including a play set in a backyard, the corner of a library, in a barnyard, in a kitchen, and in a preschool. On each verso page are four color photographs of what readers should be looking for, each labeled underneath in uppercase letters—Momo, of course, along with three common objects that are to be found in the photograph on the opposite page. Objects include a red pail, a yellow rain boot, a clock, a steel watering can, and a blue birdhouse. This is an enjoyably challenging way for young children to learn the names of familiar household and outdoor objects as well as colors. Some of the objects found are in a different orientation from the one that is shown; the gardening fork is shown vertically on verso and horizontally on the right, which makes them occasionally difficult to spot. Similar in mission to the I Spy or Where’s Waldo books for this age group, the excellent photography’s artful compositions, including the hidden Momo, make it a lot more entertaining.
Colorful, kid-friendly fun—and Momo! What more could readers want? (Board book. 2-5)Pub Date: April 18, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-59474-958-2
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Quirk Books
Review Posted Online: April 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
Lovely.
Some birds and their names in several different languages are presented in this multilingual board book.
Attractive paper collages set against a plain cream background represent 15 different familiar birds. Among them are a turkey, a dove, a pheasant, an owl, an ostrich, a kiwi, and a hummingbird. Surrounding each bird are the names given to it in each of seven languages, printed in small type or script: English, Chinese, Hindi, Spanish, French, Arabic, and Esperanto. Each language is assigned a color and a number from one to seven so readers know as they look at the words what language it is. For the three languages that do not use the Roman alphabet—Chinese, Hindi, and Arabic—the word has also been transcribed. Companion volume Ocean Animals is similar in presentation. In this case, the collage artwork represents 15 different animals that live in the ocean. Among them are a seahorse, a sperm whale, a sea lion, a starfish, a jellyfish, and a manta ray. The names for each are given in the same seven languages. Readers’ curiosity may be sparked to look for the similarities or differences across the different languages, or they may be prompted to find out how to pronounce the words, as a pronunciation key is not provided. The illustrations are the stars, assembled from found, often printed papers in a variety of colors that have been cut and layered to create arresting images.
Lovely. (Board book. 2-5)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-73500-056-5
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Blue Dot Kids Press
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
A playful and informative ode to bats.
A bat takes flight, eating its way through the sky on Halloween night.
Starting off by quoting the familiar “Trick or treat! / Smell my feet!” singsong-y childhood rhyme, the story follows in that same cadence, which works smoothly for the most part. A little bat flies out at twilight, using echolocation to find moths, flies, and other bugs to munch on. A few pages of “Bat Facts” at the conclusion of the story discuss more about what bats eat, introduce different types that live in the U.S., explain how they echolocate, and offer a nice reminder to treat them with respect. Leschnikoff’s illustrations show their young bat protagonist in shades of blue and purple with pink inside its ears and wings. The anthropomorphized eyes and facial features keep it cute, even with its teeny little fangs. The insects are carefully drawn with nice detail, and, refreshingly, the paper-wasps’ nest is inhabited by wasps rather than bees. Although there are some brief mentions of Halloween, the text concentrates on bats and bugs. The illustrations do give little nods to the holiday with pumpkins and jack-o’-lanterns, and the final double-page spread features a set of adorable haunted houses and the silhouettes of trick-or-treaters beneath the full moon.
A playful and informative ode to bats. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-7282-3329-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks eXplore
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
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