A sweet look at becoming comfortable with ourselves, whoever we are.
When Mr. Lion gets invited to a party, Mr. Monkey’s suggestions for what to wear range from sophisticated to downright silly.
This board book about playing dress-up is like a game of paper dolls, with outfits that change with each turn of the page. The cover and all but the last page of the book are die cut with a hole in the shape of Mr. Lion’s face, which peers uncertainly through each picture and every outfit. Excited about Mr. Lion’s invitation, Mr. Monkey suggests, “You’ll have to get dressed up!” Mr. Lion, however, is skeptical. Undeterred, Mr. Monkey pulls several outfits from an unusually eclectic wardrobe. The ensembles appear dignified at first, becoming progressively more ridiculous, until Mr. Monkey is rolling on the floor in stitches. Counting boxer shorts, Mr. Lion models 14 different looks, including suit with top hat, evening gown, clown suit, a tutu, PJ’s, kilt, and bunny suit. Mr. Monkey finally admits, “No…none of those outfits is right, Mr. Lion, it would be best for you to go as…yourself!” The artwork is appealing, and while the beleaguered Mr. Lion’s face remains static throughout, his body and limbs move expressively as he awkwardly models each get-up. The zany outfits should have toddlers howling right along with Mr. Monkey.
A sweet look at becoming comfortable with ourselves, whoever we are. (Board book. 1-4)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2020
ISBN: 979-1-03631-357-8
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Twirl/Chronicle
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2020
Sure to prompt little fingers into joyful action.
A favorite baby-and-toddler activity receives an upbeat celebration that will get those fingers going. Watch out!
The gang of frazzled felines that populate this outing are truly the cat's meow. Based on Boynton's song of the same title, the text is reproduced in a colored, patterned font that amps the energy right up. A forlorn little kitty, paws clasped in front of his body, appears anxious (though slightly intrigued) when a trio of toms encourages him to join in the fun. “Gitchy-gitchy / Goo Gotta / Ready, Set, Go!” It doesn't take long before the cautious cat jumps in on this chorus line with dramatic leaps and fluttering fingers. A little birdie acts as a square-dance caller, enunciating each beat (“Goo bop. / Gitchy-goo bop”). The shaggy, large-nosed felines are tremendously expressive in their synchronized movements and maintain a rollicking pace. “We can tickle high. / We can tickle low. / We can tickle QUICKQUICKQUICK / as fast as we can go!” (Here, the page is filled with iterations of "gitchy gitchy gitchy" in different colors.) At the end, the gang sprawls on the floor, exhausted, after a truly monumental tickle-fest.
Sure to prompt little fingers into joyful action. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: March 16, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-7611-6883-6
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Workman
Review Posted Online: June 12, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2012
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The joys of counting combine with pretty art and homage to Goodnight Moon.
This bedtime book offers simple rhymes, celebrates the numbers one through 10, and encourages the counting of objects.
Each double-page spread shows a different toddler-and-caregiver pair, with careful attention to different skin tones, hair types, genders, and eye shapes. The pastel palette and soft, rounded contours of people and things add to the sleepy litany of the poems, beginning with “Goodnight, one fork. / Goodnight, one spoon. / Goodnight, one bowl. / I’ll see you soon.” With each number comes a different part in a toddler’s evening routine, including dinner, putting away toys, bathtime, and a bedtime story. The white backgrounds of the pages help to emphasize the bold representations of the numbers in both written and numerical forms. Each spread gives multiple opportunities to practice counting to its particular number; for example, the page for “four” includes four bottles of shampoo and four inlaid dots on a stool—beyond the four objects mentioned in the accompanying rhyme. Each home’s décor, and the array and types of toys and accoutrements within, shows a decidedly upscale, Western milieu. This seems compatible with the patronizing author’s note to adults, which accuses “the media” of indoctrinating children with fear of math “in our country.” Regardless, this sweet treatment of numbers and counting may be good prophylaxis against math phobia.
The joys of counting combine with pretty art and homage to Goodnight Moon. (Picture book. 2-4)Pub Date: March 7, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-101-93378-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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