An almost wordless alphabet book that is simple, original, gimmick-free, and bursting with the surprise and delight to be found on a stroll along Market Street. Bracketed by a modestly old-fashioned, prim rhyme ("Such wonders there on Market Street!/ So much to catch my eye!") is a series of full-page human figures, based (we are told) on 17th-century French trade engravings, each composed (except for face and hands) of whatever commodity it represents—from a luscious, spanking fresh opener of red and green apples, tree branches, baskets, leaves, and blossoms, to a comical, floppy two-dimensional zipper man devoid of a supporting frame. In the cleverest, most notably musical instruments and umbrellas, the objects are an integral part of the structure—but then the noodles and vegetables figures are marvels of ingenuity, as is the figure made of eggs: whole eggs in baskets, hard-boiled egg halves, jagged shell halves, egg cups with painted chicken feet for feet, and a prominent red comb and beaked mask. There are elaborate women made of glittering clocks and jewels, a profusion of pretty spring flowers, and people composed of sedate gloves dove-tailed intriguingly, dashing hats, splendid kites, jaunty flyaway ribbons, and more. . . all in fresh, clear, pleasing colors, altogether an inexhaustible visual feast.
Pub Date: April 6, 1981
ISBN: 0688087450
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: May 1, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1981
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A stimulating outing to the furthest reaches of our knowledge, certain to inspire deep thoughts.
From a Caldecott and Sibert honoree, an invitation to take a mind-expanding journey from the surface of our planet to the furthest reaches of the observable cosmos.
Though Chin’s assumption that we are even capable of understanding the scope of the universe is quixotic at best, he does effectively lead viewers on a journey that captures a sense of its scale. Following the model of Kees Boeke’s classic Cosmic View: The Universe in Forty Jumps (1957), he starts with four 8-year-old sky watchers of average height (and different racial presentations). They peer into a telescope and then are comically startled by the sudden arrival of an ostrich that is twice as tall…and then a giraffe that is over twice as tall as that…and going onward and upward, with ellipses at each page turn connecting the stages, past our atmosphere and solar system to the cosmic web of galactic superclusters. As he goes, precisely drawn earthly figures and features in the expansive illustrations give way to ever smaller celestial bodies and finally to glimmering swirls of distant lights against gulfs of deep black before ultimately returning to his starting place. A closing recap adds smaller images and additional details. Accompanying the spare narrative, valuable side notes supply specific lengths or distances and define their units of measure, accurately explain astronomical phenomena, and close with the provocative observation that “the observable universe is centered on us, but we are not in the center of the entire universe.”
A stimulating outing to the furthest reaches of our knowledge, certain to inspire deep thoughts. (afterword, websites, further reading) (Informational picture book. 8-10)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-8234-4623-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Neal Porter/Holiday House
Review Posted Online: April 11, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2020
PERSPECTIVES
PERSPECTIVES
Age appropriate for little ones yet will also be appreciated by adults.
A rhyming board-book ode to a parent’s love for a baby.
With quacks, buzzes, and meows, among other animal noises, a narrator explains just how much joy and love they have for their baby: “For your belly laugh, I’d tweet tweet like a bird. Because it’s the best sound that I’ve ever heard.” Each layout shows an animal pair happily enjoying each other. The illustrations are done in black and white with pops of red throughout—an artistic choice that, according to the back cover, was done so that babies can more easily see the images. The red mostly dots cheeks and highlights words, but one standout page depicts two mice in the doorway of their den, shadowed black against white light, a large red, eye-catching spool of thread to the side. Some illustrations give the impression of woodblock printing, most notably a diapered baby joyfully bounced by a parent with the night skyline of the Brooklyn Bridge visible through the window. The singsong-y rhymes provide appropriate pacing and a loving sentiment familiar in many similar board books. Unlike many other black-and-white, infant-intended titles, however, this one features far more visually stimulating illustrations that are well integrated with the text. Both the human parent and baby have skin the white of the page. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Age appropriate for little ones yet will also be appreciated by adults. (Board book. 0-2)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-06-308634-0
Page Count: 22
Publisher: HarperFestival
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2022
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
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.
