A quiet depiction of self-reliant slumber.
An evening routine provides stability for two smiling siblings.
The pair bathe together in the tub. Drying off with towels, they put on pajamas and share a nighttime story with their favorite stuffed animals before they pull the covers up over their noses. The tale highlights the interactions between sister and brother, exuding coziness as they finally relax. There's no adult physically depicted in the pictures, even when the two splash puddles of water on the floor. An adult presence is indicated in the lulling narration, though: “Snuggle the covers / and off with the light, // Dream little dreams, // I love you, good night.” The youngsters demonstrate tremendous independence; they scrub themselves clean and open wide to brush their teeth. The clean layout provides, appropriately, few details; stitched hearts float in the background near their beds in a symbolic departure from the realism otherwise portrayed. The padded cover adds extra softness.
A quiet depiction of self-reliant slumber. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-545-39215-0
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 12, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
To go with reverent, lovely manger scenes, Root draws images from several Christmas carols and songs for a tender lullaby in which birds, livestock, a spider, even a cherry tree attend on the holy infant. “Fireflies / Like tiny candles / Light the stable / Where you sleep. / Little fishes / In the river / Flash and splash / And laugh and leap.” The pages are designed to resemble those of late-Medieval illuminated manuscripts; rows of exactly rendered, finely detailed specimens of moths and butterflies, berries and wildflowers, are placed beneath views of a drowsily cheerful Jesus (not quite newborn, but nearly so), with Mary, Joseph, and a variety of animals gathered ’round. All are framed by wooden beams and placed within wide, stone-textured borders. Similar frames enclose the blocks of rhymed, short-lined text. Like Norma Farber’s All Those Mothers at the Manger (1985), there is no music to go with the lyric, but read aloud, the verse has a gently soporific rhythm—and the art is virtuoso work. Exquisite. (Picture book/poetry. 1-3)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-7636-0093-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2000
Silly playfulness perfect for both children and their grown-ups.
Different animals leave their marks on this lift-the-flap board book.
Each page starts with an inquiry (“Who bit my book?” “Who crumpled up my book?”). The accompanying flap covers most of the animal, showing only a peek at a body part such as a tail or an arm and the damage they’ve done to the book (a chomp, for example). A lift of the flap reveals the full animal: The cat has scratched the book, the snail has “slobbered” on it, and the mouse has nibbled it. This pattern offers little readers a chance to guess which creature is responsible for making mischief. Kids will surely giggle at the scatological messes that two animals make. Some critters leave behind jagged cutouts, giving the book a cheeky, realistic touch that’s sure to delight little ones and keep them coming back for repeat reads. And by the story’s end, a snake appears to have swallowed the book whole—an amusing and appropriate conclusion. The illustrations are simple, featuring the animals and, in some cases, their pawprints against white space. The art makes effective use of textures; tiny dots and lines give the monkey soft fur, while the snail has an attractive, patterned shell. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Silly playfulness perfect for both children and their grown-ups. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Dec. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-66265-135-9
Page Count: 16
Publisher: minedition
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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