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WHO CAN?

Name: WHO CAN?
Author: Charles Ghigna
ISBN: 978-1-4598-1369-4

by Charles Ghigna ; illustrated by Vlasta van Kampen ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 27, 2018

While the seed of a good idea is here, it withers and dies by the end (pun intended)

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Little ones are encouraged to guess the identity of various animals through pun-filled riddles.

“Who can sing while sitting in a tree? Who can?” So reads the text on the left-side of the first double-page spread. Across the gutter, a telltale bright beak peeks out from a copse of trees, and the page-turn reveals the answer: “TOUCAN.” “Who can?” is asked again to introduce a pelican, and the pattern of riddle and reveal continues with question on recto and answer on the following verso. The next set of animals—pandas and barracudas—answers the question “Who does?” The puns get stretched a little too thin when the riddle reads “Who stirs the wheel in the playground? Who stirs?” and the answer is “HAMSTERS.” While van Kampen’s illustrations are lively enough against white backgrounds and employ warmly saturated colors, the tone of the art is an odd mix of the naturalistic (pandas eating bamboo) and the whimsical (centipedes reading this very book). The project ends with a query directed to readers, asking who can read this riddle book. On the following double-page spread a white toddler sits in an oversized chair reading as all the animals (including fish-out-of-water minnows and a barracuda) from subsequent pages gaze on with admiration.

While the seed of a good idea is here, it withers and dies by the end (pun intended) . (Board book. 2-3)

Pub Date: March 27, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-4598-1369-4

Page Count: 24

Publisher: Orca

Review Posted Online: June 10, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

- BOOK REVIEW
THE FATHER GOOSE TREASURY OF POETRY
by Charles Ghigna ; illustrated by Sara Brezzi

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE HEARTS
by Charles Ghigna ; illustrated by Jacqueline East

- BOOK REVIEW
FETCH, CAT. FETCH!
by Charles Ghigna ; illustrated by Michelle Hazelwood Hyde

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WHERE IS MILO'S BALL?

by Mike Austin & illustrated by Mike Austin ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 25, 2012

Just as visually appealing as the app at first glance, and possibly even more durable—but showing considerable fall-off in...

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The blue cat that starred in the excellent app A Present for Milo (2010) makes an awful crossover from the digital domain.

Printed on extra-sturdy boards with folded (rather than glued) flaps, the episode sends Milo in search of his missing ball of string. Led by a helpful mouse, he discovers piles of yarn in various geometric shapes that, once each flap is lifted, reveal common items of the same shape. These range from a square slice of cheese to a triangular piece of pizza to a rectangular granola bar. Meanwhile, behind Milo, two other mice roll up the continual line of multicolored yarn that loops through each cartoon scene so that by the end the ball is restored. Not only is the prose numbingly wooden (“Little mouse,” says Milo, “will you help me find my ball of string?”), it is confusingly phrased. Milo rejects the square because it has “four sides,” which doesn’t distinguish it from the rectangle, and the oval egg isn’t like a ball because it’s “sort of round-ish but also long-ish.” Moreover, the concluding general romp comes off less as a resolution to the plotline than filler for the final spread. In marked contrast to his app incarnation, Milo is no more than a static presence in the art, his body shape even duplicated in some scenes rather than redrawn.

Just as visually appealing as the app at first glance, and possibly even more durable—but showing considerable fall-off in narrative quality and awareness of audience. (Board book. 2-3)

Pub Date: June 25, 2012

ISBN: 978-1-60905-209-6

Page Count: 16

Publisher: Blue Apple

Review Posted Online: April 17, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2012

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS

- BOOK REVIEW
SUMMER SUPPER
by Rubin Pfeffer ; illustrated by Mike Austin

- BOOK REVIEW
HENNY, PENNY, LENNY, DENNY, AND MIKE
by Cynthia Rylant ; illustrated by Mike Austin

- BOOK REVIEW
RESCUE SQUAD NO. 9
by Mike Austin ; illustrated by Mike Austin

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KNIGHTS' CASTLE

From the Bizzy Bear series

by Nosy Crow ; illustrated by Benji Davies ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 10, 2015

The appealing topic combined with easy-to-operate pull tabs and sliders will make this a toddler favorite.

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Bizzy Bear learns what it’s like to be a knight as he visits a castle to try his paw at jousting.

This chunky board title features cute Bizzy Bear, and short, simple rhymes tell the story of his day at a castle. Bizzy begins by donning some armor: “Bizzy Bear, Bizzy Bear, here to be a knight. / Bizzy Bear, Bizzy Bear, fits just right!” Readers can help Bizzy by sliding the helmet’s visor up and down with an easy-to-grip tab. Additional tabs on subsequent pages allow little hands to help Bizzy as he brandishes a sword and wins a jousting contest. On the final double-page spread, he is pictured with a trophy, surrounded by friends and enjoying a spectacular feast. The illustrations are vivid and engaging, the storyline appropriately simple, and the interactive features both well-designed and well-constructed. In companion volume Zookeeper, the sliders and tabs enable youngsters to interact with various zoo animals. For example, an easy up-and-down motion makes a crocodile chomp, and the spin of a wheel makes some hungry penguins swim after their fish dinner. The busyness of the illustrations gear both books to toddlers.

The appealing topic combined with easy-to-operate pull tabs and sliders will make this a toddler favorite. (Board book. 2-3)