A quiet discovery that home is best.
Falgu, an Indian farmer, is trying to escape his noisy farm.
He hitches his oxen to his cart and starts off “to find silence” but soon picks up passengers who create different kinds of sounds. An old man gets on and plays his drum: “dum-dum.” A snake charmer plays “phee-phee” on his pipe. A troupe of dancers tap their feet: “tap-tap-tap.” When they all finally alight, Farmer Falgu “listened to the quiet night.” He recognizes the small nocturnal sounds, “crickets chirping, frogs croaking, the wind whispering,” and finally understands that his animals are noisy because they are happy. The terse onomatopoeic text with its sounds picked out in bold colors will keep young listeners engaged, and the pictures have a Rouault-like flavor with dark outlines and deep colors. Their focus is on Falgu and his experience, and readers hoping for a broader sense of India will not find it here; the snake charmer makes for a rather stereotypical element. This simple story of one man’s dissatisfaction with his surroundings and his emotional change and acceptance of what was once an annoyance is a common theme in picture books, recalling such works as the Caldecott Honor book It Could Always Be Worse, by Margot Zemach (1977).
A quiet discovery that home is best. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-8-1819-0311-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Karadi Tales
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Simultaneously simple and sophisticated—but not for the baby and toddler board-book crowd; older preschoolers learning to...
An anthology of Picasso’s animal sketches from various collections including birds, insects, and various mammals.
With pencil and ink reproduced on backgrounds that look like aging white paper (just like the originals), these drawings display a childlike spontaneity. With very few marks, Picasso reduced the animals down to their most basic forms; many look as though they were drawn with one stroke of a pen. An ostrich consists of one leg, a long neck and beak, and a circular scribble at the rear for a tail, and a horse consists of three downward strokes for legs, a boot-shaped head, and two circles at the top of the legs for shoulder and haunch. While his technique is impressive by any standard, the primary audience for board books, babies and toddlers, are still learning to identify each animals’ basic qualities, and these sketches may not serve that goal. Each image is paired with a phrase or sentence at the bottom of the page, often sharing facts both obvious and surprising. (The text is uncredited.) The backmatter includes a short biography of Picasso and much-too-small-to-be-useful facsimiles of the original drawings the sketches were pulled from.
Simultaneously simple and sophisticated—but not for the baby and toddler board-book crowd; older preschoolers learning to make their own representational drawings will be inspired. (Board book. 3-5)Pub Date: April 24, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7148-7418-0
Page Count: 30
Publisher: Phaidon
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
Good interactive fun for tots.
“Bugsy Bug is going to see his grandma”—but is not sure how to get there. By following the clues, readers can help him find her.
When they open the cover of this log-shaped board book, readers will find a veritable bug metropolis thriving inside. Cartoon-style illustrations in appropriately earthy tones depict ants, bees, worms, ladybugs, crickets, and a whole host more of not-so-identifiable critters. Stairs, hallways, and ladders lead to homes; shops, a cafe, and a restaurant; a library (with bookworms, of course!); and even a big, scary spider web. As Bugsy Bug asks for directions to his grandma’s house, friendly bugs give him instructions: “Go through the door by the bee in a bow tie.” When readers explore the different lift-the-flap doors on each double-page spread they will find amusing little scenes taking place behind most doors. The correct door has a die-cut opening leading to the next page. In addition to the action taking place behind the doors, each page turn is full of little details that will keep readers lingering before they move on. The amount of text per page, the busyness of the illustrations, and the dexterity required to lift the flaps without tearing them off the page altogether indicate an audience of older toddlers and preschoolers.
Good interactive fun for tots. (Board book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 28, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7636-9322-0
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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