by Britta Teckentrup ; illustrated by Britta Teckentrup ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2013
This simple, repetitive tale with vivid images and a comforting ending is a good choice for one-on-one or group sharing.
Little Mouse has gotten lost in the big, dark forest, and he must avoid some scary predators as he makes his way back home.
In the first three spreads, poor lost Little Mouse is pictured in a simple forest scene featuring a few trees, a small moon and a winding gray path. Next, he appears tiny and frightened against a black background, while two yellow eyes peek through cat’s-eye–shaped die cuts. When the page is turned, a large fox is revealed: “Run home, Little Mouse, as fast as you can!” The danger doesn’t end there; Little Mouse spies a weasel, an owl, a cat, a crow and two bats (in each case, the eyes peek through die-cut holes before the creature is fully revealed), but finally, he makes it back home to his eager family. Though Little Mouse’s big eyes convey fright, the predators all have a rather friendly appearance, which tones down the potential fear factor. The black background and strategic die cuts make for dramatic images, and children will enjoy guessing which animals the different eyes belong to as they watch Little Mouse find his way back to the safety of his family.
This simple, repetitive tale with vivid images and a comforting ending is a good choice for one-on-one or group sharing. (Board book. 1-4)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-77138-033-1
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2014
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by Christopher Silas Neal ; illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 27, 2018
Innovative and thoroughly enjoyable.
You think you know shapes? Animals? Blend them together, and you might see them both a little differently!
What a mischievous twist on a concept book! With wordplay and a few groan-inducing puns, Neal creates connections among animals and shapes that are both unexpected and so seemingly obvious that readers might wonder why they didn’t see them all along. Of course, a “lazy turtle” meeting an oval would create the side-splitting combo of a “SLOW-VAL.” A dramatic page turn transforms a deeply saturated, clean-lined green oval by superimposing a head and turtle shell atop, with watery blue ripples completing the illusion. Minimal backgrounds and sketchy, impressionistic detailing keep the focus right on the zany animals. Beginning with simple shapes, the geometric forms become more complicated as the book advances, taking readers from a “soaring bird” that meets a triangle to become a “FLY-ANGLE” to a “sleepy lion” nonagon “YAWN-AGON.” Its companion text, Animal Colors, delves into color theory, this time creating entirely hybrid animals, such as the “GREEN WHION” with maned head and whale’s tail made from a “blue whale and a yellow lion.” It’s a compelling way to visualize color mixing, and like Animal Shapes, it’s got verve. Who doesn’t want to shout out that a yellow kangaroo/green moose blend is a “CHARTREUSE KANGAMOOSE”?
Innovative and thoroughly enjoyable. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: March 27, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4998-0534-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
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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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by Audrey Penn ; illustrated by Barbara L. Gibson
by Audrey Penn & illustrated by Barbara L. Gibson
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