With so many wonderful ABC books out there, it’s safe to skip this ambitious but ultimately disappointing effort.
This interactive alphabet book describes a dinosaur day at school.
Each double-page spread features one to four letters of the alphabet, accompanied by a couple of lines of rhyming verse. Words in the verse that start with the featured letter(s) are flagged by colorful type, but they are not always strong or memorable choices. For example, the word associated with the letter “A” is “agree” in the following verse: “Busy little dinosaurs, / as a rule, / agree it’s fun / to go to school.” Further, the verses don’t always make for smooth reading, and the “Back-and-Forth” concept falls flat. At the end of the volume, readers are told to “go back to the cutouts / for surprises and fun. / Guess the letters things start with / and then you’ll be done!” Flipping backward, the cutouts appear on every other double-page spread, framing an object that begins with one of the featured letters from that page. Readers can spot them and guess what letter they begin with, yes, but there is no surprise and nothing to be gained from going backward, as these objects appear in the cutouts on a regular read-through just the same. The illustrations are cheerful and often funny, but they can’t make up for the shortfalls here.
With so many wonderful ABC books out there, it’s safe to skip this ambitious but ultimately disappointing effort. (Board book. 2-5)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-6237-0234-2
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
Review Posted Online: July 21, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
Brimming with pure love and appreciation for the natural world and the children who will become its stewards.
How does nature love you? Let us count the ways.
The comforting refrain at the top of each page turn reads, “You are loved”—by the sun, by the grass, by the wind, by the ocean, and by the stars—each providing a gift to the book’s protagonist. The flowers bring a “bouquet of color,” while the birds invite the child to dance. Through just a simple, single sentence per page, Rim conveys a child’s joy at experiencing nature’s bounty. The thickly outlined protagonist (a child wearing bunny ears? Or a childlike bunny?) has paper-white skin and wears a striped blue-and-black shirt. The little one smells bright and colorful wildflowers and splashes in the rain. One captivating image depicts the child staring up at clouds shaped like dragons and other creatures, while another shows the little one gazing at a huge moon, the night sky awash in blurred blacks, purples, and blues. Caregivers will be especially delighted to read the final two pages aloud: “But most of all, you are loved…by me.” The concise text, repetitive format, and appealing illustrations make this a fitting book for growing families with young toddlers.
Brimming with pure love and appreciation for the natural world and the children who will become its stewards. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: May 7, 2024
ISBN: 9781665949163
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Caitlyn Dlouhy/Atheneum
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Pure unmitigated sleepy-time pleasure.
Klassen’s inimitable blend of cozy and curious is on flagrant display in this tale of personalized forest management.
“This is your sun. It is coming up for you.” Klassen allows the youngest of readers to put together a beguiling woodland scene. Each object in the forest is bedecked with the deadpan eyes the artist is known for. Like other titles in the series, this one presents typical items (trees, rocks, a stream), but it distinguishes itself by including a solitary forest ghost who “is nice. He only comes out at night.” It’s a tiny yet whimsical detail that imbues the tale with an enchanting sense of unpredictability. When day shifts to night, readers are assured that “this is your forest. Now it is done.” The sun sinks, and they’re treated to a surreal scene as all the items appear to doze off: “Now everyone is closing their eyes.” Happily, the ghost has a brief solo moment on the very edge of the forest on the final page. Readers will experience both the comfort of putting a community of anthropomorphized objects to sleep and the power of creating it in the first place.
Pure unmitigated sleepy-time pleasure. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9781536230833
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Nov. 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2024
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