Unique, ambitious art and concept but too challenging for the toddler set.
Readers are challenged to seek and find animals from among complex cut-paper patterns.
The first of each pair of double-page spreads opens onto a solid-colored spread labeled with a continent (“South America”) or an environment (“The Oceans”) on verso and a large, evocatively shaped die-cut animal representative of that geographic area on recto. Glance through the purple Oceania kangaroo die cut to a collaged page teaming with miniscule, precisely trimmed local animals artfully arranged into a dizzying tableau. Though the collage work is skillful and the matte colors are harmonious—khaki, rust, and olive kangaroos; maroon kiwis and platypuses; and a few scattered lime crocodiles and turtles—the tightly crammed animals feel overwhelming, like a piece of frenetic scrapbooking paper. Busy pages make the “Can you find…?” counting challenge opposite the collage frustrating for a board-book audience. While Asia’s large, patterned “1 panda” or colorfully distinct “3 peacocks” are easy enough to spot, smaller animals, such as the “5 wild boars,” melt into the visual cacophony. Some, like Europe’s reindeer and horses, are difficult to visually differentiate, and budding naturalists may rail about the section combining penguins and polar bears in “the Arctic and the Antarctic.” Placing the ethnically ambiguous child floating through the world in a hot air balloon on each page (or, cleverly, in scuba gear on the “Oceans” page) is a nice touch.
Unique, ambitious art and concept but too challenging for the toddler set. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5362-1149-8
Page Count: 34
Publisher: Candlewick Studio
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes.
A lift-the-flap book gives the littlest trick-or-treaters some practice identifying partygoers under their costumes.
Little Blue Truck and his buddy Toad are off to a party, and they invite readers (and a black cat) along for the ride: “ ‘Beep! Beep! Beep!’ / says Little Blue. / ‘It’s Halloween!’ / You come, too.” As they drive, they are surprised (and joined) by many of their friends in costume. “Who’s that in a tutu / striking a pose / up on the tiniest / tips of her toes? / Under the mask / who do you see?” Lifting the flap unmasks a friend: “ ‘Quack!’ says the duck. / ‘It’s me! It’s me!’ ” The sheep is disguised as a clown, the cow’s a queen, the pig’s a witch, the hen and her chick are pirates, and the horse is a dragon. Not to be left out, Little Blue has a costume, too. The flaps are large and sturdy, and enough of the animals’ characteristic features are visible under and around the costumes that little ones will be able to make successful guesses even on the first reading. Lovely curvy shapes and autumn colors fade to dusky blues as night falls, and children are sure to notice the traditional elements of a Halloween party: apple bobbing, lit jack-o’-lanterns, and punch and treats.
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-544-77253-3
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Innovative and thoroughly enjoyable.
You think you know shapes? Animals? Blend them together, and you might see them both a little differently!
What a mischievous twist on a concept book! With wordplay and a few groan-inducing puns, Neal creates connections among animals and shapes that are both unexpected and so seemingly obvious that readers might wonder why they didn’t see them all along. Of course, a “lazy turtle” meeting an oval would create the side-splitting combo of a “SLOW-VAL.” A dramatic page turn transforms a deeply saturated, clean-lined green oval by superimposing a head and turtle shell atop, with watery blue ripples completing the illusion. Minimal backgrounds and sketchy, impressionistic detailing keep the focus right on the zany animals. Beginning with simple shapes, the geometric forms become more complicated as the book advances, taking readers from a “soaring bird” that meets a triangle to become a “FLY-ANGLE” to a “sleepy lion” nonagon “YAWN-AGON.” Its companion text, Animal Colors, delves into color theory, this time creating entirely hybrid animals, such as the “GREEN WHION” with maned head and whale’s tail made from a “blue whale and a yellow lion.” It’s a compelling way to visualize color mixing, and like Animal Shapes, it’s got verve. Who doesn’t want to shout out that a yellow kangaroo/green moose blend is a “CHARTREUSE KANGAMOOSE”?
Innovative and thoroughly enjoyable. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: March 27, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4998-0534-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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