Expect gleeful chortles from budding atom-smashers and collision-safety experts.
A trip to visit Zebra turns into a game of colliding creatures in this French book-and-toy import.
Young readers can play along, as the episode comes packaged in a slipcase box with eight thick, rounded, particle-board animal figures. Gorilla, who’s “bored, bored, bored,” decides to visit Zebra for a round of the titular diversion and is joined along the way by Elephant, Lion, Giraffe, and Rhino—the last offering a willing Crocodile to ferry everyone across the wide river. Unfortunately, in midriver the travelers (literally) run into Hippo. “BADABOOM / BADATHUMP!” All end up in a heap in front of Zebra…who thinks that game looks like even more fun than Badaboom Badabump. Deneux cheats a little, stretching Crocodile out in the illustration so that all the animals line up neatly on its back at once, which is not possible with the accompanying toys. Still, along with offering a basic lesson in Newtonian principles, the challenge of finding a way to stack the animals in a stable formation followed by the gratification of ramming them into Hippo and seeing them fly makes a pleasing experience for anyone who likes to bang things together.
Expect gleeful chortles from budding atom-smashers and collision-safety experts. (Board book/novelty. 1.5-3)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 979-1-02760-706-8
Page Count: 10
Publisher: Twirl/Chronicle
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
A joyful celebration.
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
Leave the hopping to Peter Cottontail and sing the original song instead.
An Easter-themed board-book parody of the traditional nursery rhyme.
Unfortunately, this effort is just as sugary and uninspired as The Itsy Bitsy Snowman, offered by the same pair in 2015. A cheerful white bunny hops through a pastel world to distribute candy and treats for Easter but spills his baskets. A hedgehog, fox, mouse, and various birds come to the bunny’s rescue, retrieving the candy, helping to devise a distribution plan, and hiding the eggs. Then magically, they all fly off in a hot air balloon as the little animals in the village emerge to find the treats. Without any apparent purpose, the type changes color to highlight some words. For very young children every word is new, so highlighting “tiny tail” or “friends” makes no sense. Although the text is meant to be sung, the words don't quite fit the rhythm of the original song. Moreover, there are not clear motions to accompany the text; without the fingerplay movements, this book has none of the satisfying verve of the traditional version.
Leave the hopping to Peter Cottontail and sing the original song instead. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-5621-0
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
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