Bright and simple—though probably not durable enough to outlast the pleasure the OshKosh set will take in repeat tours.
In this flap-lifter’s delight, a platoon of mice rummages through a house, room by room, for party supplies.
The search begins in the basement, where two storage containers, plus boxes of tools and fishing tackle, all feature liftable lids with contents (and mice) neatly arranged inside. From there, it’s on to the bedroom, kitchen, dining room, bathroom, and attic. Along with expected items and lots of bright-eyed mice, Behl tucks occasional surprises—a packet of hot sauce with a pizza, a twisting pop-up ballerina in a music box, a ghost (“BOO!”) in a carton labeled “Open at your own risk!”—into her tidy cartoon illustrations. After exploring over two dozen boxes and tins, some of which have sliding lids or multiple layers, the mice put their loot together in a final panoramic pop-up partyscape and get set for “a very noisy celebration!” The mice offer commentary as they go, and if it’s not always particularly funny (“What’s this? An overstuffed hero with lots of fries? Good thing I have a fork!”), it does provide a little extra fizz.
Bright and simple—though probably not durable enough to outlast the pleasure the OshKosh set will take in repeat tours. (Pop-up picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2016
ISBN: 979-1-02760-192-9
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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