Googly eyes aside, an upbeat, science-based primer of human anatomy.
A friendly introduction to the annual medical checkup for little ones.
In one to two second-person paragraphs per double-page spread, the chatty narration describes the various tests doctors perform while indicating the body part each is meant to examine. Simple diagrams appear against white backgrounds to illustrate the concepts and feature faceless silhouettes of toddler bodies in a variety of skin tones accompanied by simple representations of internal organs. Medical instruments, such as a stethoscope and a sphygmomanometer (or blood-pressure cuff), float among the text and diagrams, sometimes commenting on the narration in the fashion of a Greek chorus. Several of these instruments and a good number of the internal organs, like the heart and lungs, have googly eyes, expressive eyebrows, and cutesy mouths. Presumably this is intended to give this fictional visit to the doctor a lighthearted air, but the device could be confusing to literal-minded youngsters. The spread on vaccines (a representative virus particle within the serum also has googly eyes, plus a superhero cape) reassuringly states that: “Most vaccines are shots, so it might hurt a little, but only for a second. Take a deep breath and know you are brave for keeping your body safe!” While this offering doesn’t show the actual doctors, waiting rooms, or examination tables that most going-to-the-doctor books include, it does provide answers to many of the “why” questions older toddlers and preschoolers express.
Googly eyes aside, an upbeat, science-based primer of human anatomy. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4926-9399-4
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Sourcebooks eXplore
Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The app is still better (not to mention cheaper), but with Carter, even spinoffs are first-rate.
This abridged paper version of an outstanding iPad app sticks to the same basic design but offers a different set of visual challenges.
An instruction on the left side of each spread invites children to spot a differently colored dot—either hidden beneath flaps or concealed within groups of dots or other shapes that change with the pull of a tab or turn of a wheel—on the right. “Spot the blue dot,” the text instructs, opposite an orange page on which dots or fractions of dots are spilled. The blue dot is only three-quarters full; spinning the wheel allows readers to “complete” the dot as well as change the colors of other dots or dot-wedges on the page. The paper engineering is not only different on each spread, but the patterns of color and shape become ever more complex to make spotting each successive dot trickier: The game of hide-and-seek is capped by a final explosion of hundreds of dots for “black” and “white.” Though this lacks the original’s audio narration and fanfares (and also features only eight colors rather than 10), as the movable art is new rather than just reproductions in paper of the digital animations, it has rewards of its own for diapered digerati.
The app is still better (not to mention cheaper), but with Carter, even spinoffs are first-rate. (Pop-up/picture book. 2-4)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-545-50009-8
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Ruckus/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 24, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2013
Morning-routine stories abound, but for the very young this one bounces with exuberance.
Normally you don’t want to wake the dragon…
But even sleepy dragons need a little bit of prodding to open their eyes in the morning. An eager young knight and his faithful squire-puppy run around the bed, desperately tugging on blankets, dodging fiery yawns and heaving these great beasts off the mattress. Yolen is an expert on dinosaurs’ daily activities (How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?, illustrated by Mark Teague, 2000, etc.) and can put monsters to bed (Creepy Monsters, Sleepy Monsters, illustrated by Kelly Murphy, 2011), but what about dragons? Starting simply, with only a few words per page: “Dragons wake up. // Dragons rise. // Dragons open / dragon eyes.” Yolen then plays with the scansion, but she keeps the energetic beat throughout. Some rhymes may cause eye-rolling at first (“syrup” and “cheer up,” for example) but in the end come across as quite charming. The drippy, syrupy waffles catapulted into the dragons’ mouths are too darn adorable to resist. Anderson’s bright acrylic illustrations round out the spare text with many added details and guffaws. Tooth brushing, breakfast and other cranky morning chores may have readers guessing that these dragons are off to school, but they have another very important reason for waking up.
Morning-routine stories abound, but for the very young this one bounces with exuberance. (Picture book. 2-4)Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4169-9032-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 11, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2012
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