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
While the attempts at diversity should be lauded, both are shiny bits of board-book bling without much substance.
Count up to 10 with various fairy-tale characters.
Bedecked in foil of various hues with a subtle embossing, 1 frog prince, 2 glass slippers, 3 castles and 4 unicorns all make an appearance. Most of the objects are easily counted, but the “10 enchanted friends!” prove confusing; is the princess atop the unicorn an enchanted friend or is it the barely visible snail resting on a sparkly mushroom? A few of Perrett’s graphic cartoons in highly saturated jewel tones are droll, but readers may start to wonder why so many of the people and the magical beings never open their eyes. While a token few of the princesses here show some ethnic variety, the sister title, Sparkling Princess ABC (2013), does a better job with diversity and depicts a dark-skinned princess on the cover and two more on the inside. Working through the alphabet, several of the same fairy-tale characters cross over to this book and are again embellished with the same speckled foil. One-word captions label each object, which are depicted two or three to a page. At the end, both titles unnecessarily review the numbers and letters in a too-busy double-page spread with tiny images.
While the attempts at diversity should be lauded, both are shiny bits of board-book bling without much substance. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: March 5, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4027-8887-1
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Sterling
Review Posted Online: Feb. 26, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
Good, silly fun.
A split-page board book allows readers to mix and match the upper bodies and legs of animal daddies, a skeleton father and a human dad.
The offspring of the fathers are shown nearby looking adoringly up to their progenitors. On one page, a banjo-playing papa frog is surrounded by tadpoles at his feet, and on another, a dad dachshund carries one pup in his arms and two more in a backpack. The word “Daddy” appears above each of the critters’ heads, and the lower portion of the page features a playful one-liner that often rhymes with the caption preceding it: “Daddy beary legs / Daddy scary legs.” The bifurcated pages allow readers to mix up the legs and torsos, and a solid color background aids youngsters who prefer to match instead. Young readers may find the first image labeled “Daddy wrong legs” a little frustrating, since neither the rooster top nor the alligator (or crocodile?) legs have a match. Laden’s intensely colored gouache paintings using thick, black lines are droll and playful. Budding zoologists should note that this book does not strive for realism but playfulness, at which it succeeds neatly. The split binding may pose problems for library circulation, but it looks sturdy enough for home use.
Good, silly fun. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: March 4, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4521-1528-3
Page Count: 10
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: March 30, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
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