by Brandy Cooke ; illustrated by Sanja Rešček ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 5, 2014
With no shortage of Halloween board books available, toddler trick-or-treaters can skip this one.
A Halloween ditty that can be sung to the tune of “I’m a Little Teapot.”
“I’m a little vampire, / short and stout. // If I don’t get candy, / I might pout.” The little monster, complete with purple cowl and pointy fangs protruding from his smile, also threatens to shout at or scare anyone who doesn’t proffer candy during a trick-or-treating excursion. Parents may bristle at the “gimme-gimme” attitude this junior Dracula is modeling. Some of the lines fit into the classic song well, but a couple are more than a little bit forced. Rescek’s vampires and monsters are cartoon-cute, romping in sunny colors across the mostly double-page spreads.
With no shortage of Halloween board books available, toddler trick-or-treaters can skip this one. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Aug. 5, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4814-0504-1
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2014
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by Brandy Cooke ; illustrated by Valentina Belloni
by Jeffrey Burton ; illustrated by Sanja Rešček ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 5, 2016
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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by Jeffrey Burton ; illustrated by Juliana Motzko
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by Jeffrey Burton ; illustrated by Alison Brown
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by Jeffrey Burton ; illustrated by Sanja Rešček
by Jonathan Litton ; illustrated by Fhiona Galloway ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2015
Predictable text, a slight storyline, and cutouts that toddlers will use to turn the pages make this an acceptable...
Six bug-eyed, smiling iconic Halloween characters are startled by mysterious shouts of “Boo!” but little ones won't be fazed.
Beginning with “Night owl, night owl, was that you? / Were you the one who shouted BOO?” the same question is repeated on each page, substituting the name of the Halloween symbol pictured. Young readers will soon know the response: “It wasn't me!” The eyes of the owl, cat, pumpkin, witch, spider, and wizard are nesting, die-cut holes of decreasing size. The character from the previous page is included on each double-page spread, providing visual continuity. The next-to-last spread shows all six characters worriedly asking, “Who's hiding out there in the night?” The final page turn reveals the obvious answer: “It's a ghost!” The placement of the word “Boo” changes on each page, which may confuse toddlers who learn to anticipate text through its consistent appearance. Despite the bright, almost garish illustrations in purple, black, orange, green, blue, and pink, the perennially smiling characters are static and flat; both witch and wizard are Caucasian.
Predictable text, a slight storyline, and cutouts that toddlers will use to turn the pages make this an acceptable introduction to the fun of Halloween. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-68010-501-8
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
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by Patricia Hegarty ; illustrated by Fhiona Galloway
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