Children won't learn the subtleties of strategy from this book, but it's a good presentation of the basics.
Though the series title “Gamer Baby” conjures up unsettling visions of screen-addicted infants, this book introduces the basic concepts of chess in toddler-sized morsels.
The book opens with a chessboard set up for play. The pieces are represented by charming, cartoonish figures who will appeal to the board-book set. Absent this opening tableau, caregivers would likely be at a loss to identify some of the pieces. Pawns are represented by bunnies and teddy bears; rooks are stout and turret-topped; knights are unicorns; bishops are birds wearing pointy hats; queens are tall with long hair; and the kings are short with tall crowns. After explaining the goal, to capture the opposing king, the rest of the book diagrams the movements and properties of each piece. For example, pawns attack on the diagonal and can gain higher rank by reaching the other side, and knights are the only pieces able to jump over others. The verso of each spread depicts a chessboard with arrows indicating how each piece can move; on the recto, smiling pieces leap and zip accordingly into gentle conflict with one another. All humans are depicted as White.
Children won't learn the subtleties of strategy from this book, but it's a good presentation of the basics. (Board book. 2-5)Pub Date: April 6, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-946000-24-8
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Starry Forest
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2021
A passable introduction for little linebackers and half-pint halfbacks, but it will probably please football-enthusiast...
Football basics for the littlest fans.
Each football-shaped page presents American football–related photos and one to two sentences of descriptive text. Many of the images are heavily labeled and captioned with football terminology, such as “end zone,” “helmet,” “cleats,” and “penalty flag.” One of the few double-page spreads presents a bird’s-eye view of the football field and labels such elements as “pylons,” “50-yard line,” and “1-yard hash marks.” It’s anyone’s guess what toddlers will make of the play diagram crowded with X’s, O’s, and arrows. In the photos, almost all the players, who have skin tones that range from white to black, look to be male. Just enough of the basic moves and plays of football are presented for youngsters, such as passing, catching, and kicking. As the book is football-shaped with faux leather cover and imitation laces, little ones may try to throw or kick the book itself. The project ends by encouraging would-be players to have fun and go play.
A passable introduction for little linebackers and half-pint halfbacks, but it will probably please football-enthusiast caregivers more than it will their children. (Board book. 2-3)Pub Date: Aug. 29, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5344-0400-7
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
While it is (mostly) an appropriately simple introduction to the sport, the lack of player diversity is discouraging, if not...
A baseball-shaped primer for the littlest sluggers.
Brimming with baseball facts, each round page presents heavily captioned photos and one or two sentences of declarative text. Baseball vocabulary abounds, and little ones can learn the names of the equipment, the positions, various kinds of pitches (“The pitch can be a curveball, slider, fastball, or sinker”), and a few different rules (“If the batter hits the ball, they run to first base”). In the photos, almost all the players, who have a range of hair lengths and look as though they could be both male and female, are white. The final double-page spread shows two different celebratory shots of two apparently all-white Little League teams, with nary a person of color in sight. The small trim size is approximately 5 inches in diameter, which confines the little action that is portrayed, and the narrow binding will likely not survive robust play or library circulation.
While it is (mostly) an appropriately simple introduction to the sport, the lack of player diversity is discouraging, if not out-and-out astonishing. (Board book. 2-3)Pub Date: Feb. 13, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5344-0399-4
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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