Brief, enjoyable bits of verse well suited to reading or sharing with younger audiences.
A sampler of the veteran poet’s work, gathering 101 rhymes on seasons, animals, writing poetry, and like homey topics.
Short and simple are the watchwords, as most entries are limited to a few stanzas, few of the lines are more than a couple of words or a brief phrase, and both language and imagery are easy to comprehend. Some poems are playful; a celebration of “Spring!” goes, for instance, “Across the meadow / By the creek / Bees are playing / Hive and seek.” Others are reflective, as Ghigna invites readers to “hear / A hush of sounds” on “Quiet Days” or, in a closing series, to think metaphorically of a poem as a play, a painting, a song, a spiderweb, “a laugh. / A sigh. / An echo / Passing by.” Brezzi taxes her artistic license by contradicting lines about a baby dove not yet ready to leave the nest by depicting the bird in midair…and though the poet often writes in first person, there is little sign of human presence in the pictures beyond occasional small silhouettes or glimpses of distant buildings. Still, in general her mix of landscapes, wide skies, and delicately detailed close-ups of grasses and wildflowers both adds bright washes of earth tones and expands on the understated lyricism of the verses.
Brief, enjoyable bits of verse well suited to reading or sharing with younger audiences. (subject index, title index) (Poetry. 3-6)Pub Date: April 28, 2023
ISBN: 9780764365690
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Schiffer
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2023
While there are many rhyming truck books out there, this stands out for being a collection of poems.
Rhyming poems introduce children to anthropomorphized trucks of all sorts, as well as the jobs that they do.
Adorable multiethnic children are the drivers of these 16 trucks—from construction equipment to city trucks, rescue vehicles and a semi—easily standing in for readers, a point made very clear on the final spread. Varying rhyme schemes and poem lengths help keep readers’ attention. For the most part, the rhymes and rhythms work, as in this, from “Cement Mixer”: “No time to wait; / he can’t sit still. / He has to beg your pardon. / For if he dawdles on the way, / his slushy load will harden.” Slonim’s trucks each sport an expressive pair of eyes, but the anthropomorphism stops there, at least in the pictures—Vestergaard sometimes takes it too far, as in “Bulldozer”: “He’s not a bully, either, / although he’s big and tough. / He waits his turn, plays well with friends, / and pushes just enough.” A few trucks’ jobs get short shrift, to mixed effect: “Skid-Steer Loader” focuses on how this truck moves without the typical steering wheel, but “Semi” runs with a royalty analogy and fails to truly impart any knowledge. The acrylic-and-charcoal artwork, set against white backgrounds, keeps the focus on the trucks and the jobs they are doing.
While there are many rhyming truck books out there, this stands out for being a collection of poems. (Picture book/poetry. 3-6)Pub Date: Aug. 27, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-7636-5078-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 28, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A testament to the universality of love.
An expanded explanation of love in both English and Spanish.
Several animal personalities pose the question, “What is love?” and in a series of lift-the-flap responses present various emotional scenarios. Little Elephant asks Spider, “Is it the joy of having you around?” Spider asks, “Is it the way you lift me when I’m down?” Each page corresponds to a flap that reveals one of a multitude of feelings love can evoke in either an English or Spanish rhyme, which are not direct translations of each other. An interspersed refrain notes, “Amor for the Spanish, / and love en inglés. / Love in any language / always means the same.” A palette of pastels and purple and pink hues dominate as hearts abound on each page, surrounding the characters, who are adorable though on the overly sweet side. The characters are from the bilingual preschool series Canticos, though it will work even among those without knowledge of the show. Children more fluent in Spanish will be better able to appreciate this, and those familiar with the show will recognize the signature characters, including “Los Pollitos” (Little Chickies). (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A testament to the universality of love. (Board book. 3-6)Pub Date: Nov. 8, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-945635-72-4
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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