by Cece Meng ; illustrated by Melissa Suber ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 5, 2021
There is just too much going on here to make it suitable bedtime fare.
Mama Hen struggles to put her trio of Tough Chicks to bed on the farm.
Mama points to the examples set by the other farm residents, such as the sheep, the horses, and pigs, all hunkering down for the night, and encourages her offspring to follow suit. Tabbed pages with small images of each critter allow little ones to easily turn the board pages. A tactile element is embedded on each page for sensory exploration, such as the chicks’ satiny pillow, embossed paper connoting the breeze blowing through the barn, and the fleece of the sheep. Molly, one of the rambunctious chicks, succeeds in waking up all the dozing farm residents, much to her mother’s chagrin, but Mama eventually gently coaxes the little ones into their bed made of out hay in a sequence that plays out on a gatefold page. On almost every recto, a gray mouse suggests calming actions related to the story that sleepless toddler readers can try: “How many sheep can you count before you fall asleep?” While the animals’ expressions are playfully droll and the palette soothing, Suber’s art is too busy, with stylized and patterned backgrounds that don’t always flow well together. With all the sensory elements and gimmicks at play, it’s no wonder the chicks can’t get to sleep.
There is just too much going on here to make it suitable bedtime fare. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-358-34299-1
Page Count: 12
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
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by Cece Meng ; illustrated by Melissa Suber
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by Tilly Temple ; illustrated by Sebastien Braun ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 5, 2021
Satisfactory text; irresistibly delightful illustrations.
A bedtime-prayer board book features a family of badgers.
Speaking in a gentle rhyme, the badgers ask for God’s blessings for family and friends and offer gratitude for the gifts of the natural world. Temple’s stanzas have a lullaby lilt to them, with a cadence that remains consistent throughout. With the exception of the first and last stanzas, which are voiced by the older badgers, the little badger relates the text. The accompanying images show the little badger remembering how much there is to be thankful for, from loved ones like grandparents to the moon and stars. It’s Braun’s illustrations that truly speak to little readers. The badger family is adorable; the softness and simplicity of their features are charming. The same is true of the other woodland creatures and animals. A wintry scene stands out from the rest thanks to the feelings of frostiness and wonder it evokes. There’s the little badger wrapped in a red scarf, nose to the sky, and a tiny mouse leaning on a walking stick, the soft snow floating down around them. Other details, like a lemonade bottle tucked in a picnic basket and a toy boat with a leaf sail, add depth and interest to the scenes.
Satisfactory text; irresistibly delightful illustrations. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-68010-632-9
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
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by Tilly Temple ; illustrated by Sean Julian
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by Patricia Hegarty ; illustrated by Thomas Elliott ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 3, 2021
Guess how much you’ll be reading this.
Parent and child share a day of small adventures and cozy snuggles.
That the two happen to be tortoises is totally beside the point. Die-cut holes and shaped edges turn nearly every page flip into a surprise. Following a parental “Good morning, Baby” to greet the youngling’s “Wake up, wake up, I want to play… / The sun is up, it’s a brand new day!” the two reptiles ramble off to munch on leaves, weather a sudden rain shower, discover a flock of butterflies, climb a hill, watch the moon rise, and, at last, weary little one perched on top, settle down to snooze again. The paper engineering is ingenious. Turning a seemingly arbitrarily shaped page with a special window framing a pink butterfly fills the spread with many jewel-toned insects; even though the tortoises never change position, the scene is completely transformed. Hegarty’s rhymed narrative features lots of tender sentiments—“Wherever you are, wherever you go, / Baby, I’ll always love you so”—while steering clear of any gender references. In Elliott’s peaceful, grassy settings the wanderers’ small smiles and shared glances likewise create a sense of loving intimacy. This is likely to become a victim of its own appeal, being as the paper stock is rather too flimsy to survive much contact with toddler hands. Still, a clear winner for sharing with audiences of one or dozens.
Guess how much you’ll be reading this. (Novelty. 18 mos.-3)Pub Date: Aug. 3, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-7282-3509-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Sept. 23, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2021
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by Patricia Hegarty ; illustrated by Lucy Barnard
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by Patricia Hegarty ; illustrated by Xuan Le
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