A birthday party sparks a day of joyfulness for a young boy. Amidst the jollity, Daniel spies balloons, a snoozy cat, and a candle-bedecked cake, and hears the cacophony of fun that is synonymous with children’s parties. His favorite part of the festivities is the “Happy Birthday” song. This pleasant feeling of merriment and well-wishing extends itself beyond the party as Daniel spreads good cheer throughout the day. “Happy to you!” becomes his benediction as he bids good day to everyone (and thing) he meets. Nothing is excluded from his salutations: from the stuffed animals lying around his house to the wide world outside, Daniel hails the world with hearty joviality. When at last Daniel drifts off to sleep after his exciting afternoon, it’s with a sigh of pure contentment, secure in the knowledge of a day well and lovingly spent. Cohen (Digger Pig and the Turnip, not reviewed, etc.) adroitly conveys Daniel’s exuberance—a pinch of silliness and a dash of nonsense words add to toddler appeal. “Wind wiggled the trees, wiggledy, wiggledy, flippity leaves. And Mommy said, ‘Happy to you, flippity leaves.’ ‘Happy to you lippity leaves,’ Daniel said.” Litzinger’s bright pastel illustrations echo the liveliness of the tale. Cheerful domestic scenes comically depict Daniel and his mom capering about with abandoned bliss. The full-bleed paintings, laden with color, are warmly inviting. Like an unexpected gift, Cohen’s bubbly tale will brighten reader’s days. (Picture book. 2-4)
Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2001
ISBN: 0-618-04229-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2001
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Fun format; bland text.
A hefty board book filled with ruminations on the nature of love.
While love is the topic of this board book, it’s the inventive gatefolds and charmingly vintage illustrations that readers will fall for. Brimming with sweeping declarations along the lines of “Love is / strong. // You have my back and I’ll always have yours,” the text sounds like a series of greeting cards strung together. It’s benign enough, but are most toddlers interested in generic proclamations about love? Some statements, like the ones on “unsinkable” hippos or a panda parent holding a cub “steady,” could introduce new vocabulary. At least there’s plenty of winsome critters to fawn over as the surprisingly sturdy flaps tell dramatic little ministories for each cartoon-style animal species. A downcast baby giraffe looks longingly up at a too-high tasty branch; lift a flap to bring an adult giraffe—and the delicacy—down to the baby, or watch an adventurous young fox retreat into a fold-down–flap burrow to learn that “my heart will always be home with you.” At points, the pages are tricky to turn in the correct order, but clever touches, like a series of folds that slow readers down to a sloth’s speed, make up for it. The book concludes with a gatefold revealing a vibrant playground populated with racially and ethnically diverse humans; two are wheelchair users.
Fun format; bland text. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4197-3153-2
Page Count: 84
Publisher: Abrams Appleseed
Review Posted Online: Dec. 24, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2021
This TV rerun in board-book form has nothing new to offer.
Peppa hopes to join her classmates in a Halloween pumpkin competition in this adaptation of a story from the popular British television program Peppa Pig.
With the help of Granny and Grandpa Pig, Peppa turns her giant pumpkin, which is the size of a compact car, into a jack-o’-lantern. The trio is flummoxed when it comes time to transport the pumpkin to the competition, so they call on Miss Rabbit and her helicopter to airlift the pumpkin to the festivities as Peppa and her grandparents ride inside. Peppa arrives just in time for the contest and wins the prize for best flying pumpkin. The scenes look as if they are pulled directly from the television show, right down to the rectangular framing of some of the scenes. While the story is literally nothing new, the text is serviceable, describing the action in two to three sentences per page. The pumpkin-shaped book and orange foil cover will likely attract youngsters, whether they are Peppa fans or not.
This TV rerun in board-book form has nothing new to offer. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 30, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-33922-2
Page Count: 10
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2019
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