by Ben Bailey Smith ; illustrated by Sav Akyüz ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 6, 2018
The dance moves make this a fun read that is sure to get you in the groove, if only for a little while. Check it out.
In this sequel to I Am Bear (2015), hip-hop–heavy Bear is in “a dancing mood….‘Bring the music!’ ”
Comedian and rapper Smith, aka “Doc Brown,” returns with illustrator Akyüz for some dance-friendly moves styled by their lead character, Bear. The purple ursine parties along with an unnamed, trepidatious squirrel plus a slightly hesitant DJ bunny, who round out the cast of characters. Bear’s friends are skittish for all the right reasons, because while Bear sure is multitalented, he’s also unpredictable. He performs “Furry Breaking,” the “Running Bear,” and the “Robot,” along with a bit of foxtrot, belly dance, and tango, and he does most of these things in clothes that distinctly resemble underwear even though he assures us that these are “just the clothes I choose / When I’m in a dancing mood.” Akyüz’s graffiti-esque illustrations again feature strong, black lines, bold colors, and much frenetic action. It ends with Bear succumbing to zzzzzz’s on the dance floor, which many readers are sure to do if they expect to keep up with this action-packed picture book.
The dance moves make this a fun read that is sure to get you in the groove, if only for a little while. Check it out. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Nov. 6, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-7636-9831-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick Entertainment
Review Posted Online: Sept. 1, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2018
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More by Ben Bailey Smith
BOOK REVIEW
by Ben Bailey Smith ; illustrated by Sav Akyüz
by Audrey Penn ; illustrated by Barbara L. Gibson ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2014
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
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More In The Series
by Audrey Penn ; illustrated by Barbara L. Gibson
by Audrey Penn & illustrated by Barbara L. Gibson
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by Audrey Penn ; illustrated by Barbara L. Gibson
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by Audrey Penn ; illustrated by Mike Yamada
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by Audrey Penn & illustrated by Barbara L. Gibson
by Patricia Hegarty ; illustrated by Julia Woolf ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2013
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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More by Patricia Hegarty
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by Patricia Hegarty ; illustrated by Lucy Barnard
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by Patricia Hegarty ; illustrated by Thomas Elliott
BOOK REVIEW
by Patricia Hegarty ; illustrated by Fhiona Galloway
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