CHENGDU COULD NOT, WOULD NOT, FALL ASLEEP

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CHENGDU COULD NOT, WOULD NOT, FALL ASLEEP

Name: CHENGDU COULD NOT, WOULD NOT, FALL ASLEEP
Author: Barney Saltzberg
ISBN: 978-1-4231-6721-1

by Barney Saltzberg ; illustrated by Barney Saltzberg ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 6, 2014

Little sleepyheads will love chanting along with the words, and no one can deny the appeal of the art. A bedtime winner

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In a twist on numerous picture books about little animals who are determined to stay awake, Chengdu the panda is trying his hardest to get to sleep.

Droll illustrations accompany spare, lulling text, leading to Chengdu’s success and a humorous surprise near the book’s end. The cover art is an immediate draw: The small panda’s oversized paws cling to a tree branch as his expressive, sleep-deprived face stares at readers, expertly matching the “could not, would not fall asleep” of the title. Initial pages establish a soporific mood, showing utterly relaxed, drowsily smudged pandas snoozing against a star-studded black sky, muted green bamboo branches the only spots of color. Large, softened white letters murmur, “It was late, and it was quiet, // and everyone in the bamboo grove was sleeping.” The next double-page spread consists of white space with only two wide-awake, black-masked panda eyes and the words, “Everyone except….” Of course, the page turn leads readers back to wide-awake Chengdu, staring plaintively from his moon-washed tree branch. Varied compositions and a couple of gatefolds add to the fun for readers as poor Chengdu tosses, scrunches and climbs his way to sleep…almost but, happily, not quite at the expense of his brother, Yuan.

Little sleepyheads will love chanting along with the words, and no one can deny the appeal of the art. A bedtime winner . (Picture book. 1-5)

Pub Date: May 6, 2014

ISBN: 978-1-4231-6721-1

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Review Posted Online: Feb. 18, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2014

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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ARLO NEEDS GLASSES
by Barney Saltzberg ; illustrated by Barney Saltzberg

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A DELICIOUS STORY
by Barney Saltzberg ; illustrated by Barney Saltzberg

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WE ARE EXPECTING YOU!
by Barney Saltzberg ; illustrated by Barney Saltzberg

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FAMILIES BELONG

by Dan Saks ; illustrated by Brooke Smart ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2020

A joyful celebration.

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Families in a variety of configurations play, dance, and celebrate together.

The rhymed verse, based on a song from the Noodle Loaf children’s podcast, declares that “Families belong / Together like a puzzle / Different-sized people / One big snuggle.” The accompanying image shows an interracial couple of caregivers (one with brown skin and one pale) cuddling with a pajama-clad toddler with light brown skin and surrounded by two cats and a dog. Subsequent pages show a wide array of families with members of many different racial presentations engaging in bike and bus rides, indoor dance parties, and more. In some, readers see only one caregiver: a father or a grandparent, perhaps. One same-sex couple with two children in tow are expecting another child. Smart’s illustrations are playful and expressive, curating the most joyful moments of family life. The verse, punctuated by the word together, frequently set in oversized font, is gently inclusive at its best but may trip up readers with its irregular rhythms. The song that inspired the book can be found on the Noodle Loaf website.

A joyful celebration. (Board book. 1-3)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020

ISBN: 978-0-593-22276-8

Page Count: 24

Publisher: Rise x Penguin Workshop

Review Posted Online: Nov. 26, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2020

Categories:

CHILDREN'S FAMILY | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
WE SHARE THIS SCHOOL
by Dan Saks ; illustrated by Brooke Smart

- BOOK REVIEW
FAMILIES GROW
by Dan Saks ; illustrated by Brooke Smart

- BOOK REVIEW
FAMILIES CAN
by Dan Saks ; illustrated by Brooke Smart

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LITTLE BLUE TRUCK'S SPRINGTIME

From the Little Blue Truck series

by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 2, 2018

Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come.

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Little Blue Truck and his pal Toad meet friends old and new on a springtime drive through the country.

This lift-the-flap, interactive entry in the popular Little Blue Truck series lacks the narrative strength and valuable life lessons of the original Little Blue Truck (2008) and its sequel, Little Blue Truck Leads the Way (2009). Both of those books, published for preschoolers rather than toddlers, featured rich storylines, dramatic, kinetic illustrations, and simple but valuable life lessons—the folly of taking oneself too seriously, the importance of friends, and the virtue of taking turns, for example. At about half the length and with half as much text as the aforementioned titles, this volume is a much quicker read. Less a story than a vernal celebration, the book depicts a bucolic drive through farmland and encounters with various animals and their young along the way. Beautifully rendered two-page tableaux teem with butterflies, blossoms, and vibrant pastel, springtime colors. Little Blue greets a sheep standing in the door of a barn: “Yoo-hoo, Sheep! / Beep-beep! / What’s new?” Folding back the durable, card-stock flap reveals the barn’s interior and an adorable set of twin lambs. Encounters with a duck and nine ducklings, a cow with a calf, a pig with 10 (!) piglets, a family of bunnies, and a chicken with a freshly hatched chick provide ample opportunity for counting and vocabulary work.

Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come. (Board book. 1-4)