A bouncy nighttime blend of easy graphic novel and almost-wordless picture book.
Jo Jo is a babysitter of sorts. She’s also a St. Bernard.
Jo Jo and a brown-skinned baby with black curly hair are playing when a pair of arms snatches the child. On the title page itself, the baby is ensconced in a crib yelling the titular “OUT!” (shown in a speech bubble) as the baby’s pale-skinned dad signals quiet! before leaving dog and baby together in the bedroom. The baby wants out, shouts the word constantly, but Jo Jo can, of course, say only: “Woof.” Jo Jo tries to alert the parents, an interracial couple (the mom is black, with brown skin a few shades darker than the baby’s), downstairs, but all they have to say is a cross “Jo Jo!” and “Out!” What can a concerned dog do but return to the baby? The strong-willed child climbs out of the crib, slides downstairs in a laundry basket, with a terrified Jo Jo riding behind, and their adventures begin. Young children will soon retell the story, remembering the few words in the speech balloons. The bold illustrations, created using dark acrylics, found paper, and Adobe Photoshop, are executed in a mix of graphic panels and double-page spreads. Amusing details include the parents dancing in the dark before the baby and Jo Jo creep into the parents’ bed; the back cover shows all four sleeping peacefully together.
A bouncy nighttime blend of easy graphic novel and almost-wordless picture book. (Picture book. 2-4)Pub Date: June 6, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-62779-553-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2017
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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