A vibrant dance tale for young readers who enjoy diaper humor.
This debut picture book offers an amusing gross-out story in the same vein as Justine Avery’s Everybody Poops! (2019).
Authier’s rhyming couplets describe seven babies who show off their moves when their diapers are full. A blue-eyed, White infant wiggles in a crawl position on the opening spread. “Funky arms, funky feet” describe a slightly older baby with peachy skin; brown, curly hair; and a disco shirt. A young, brown-skinned, brown-haired ballerina uses a dance technique to avoid any leaking. A blond, pigtailed White child in boots and a Western vest with a sheriff star performs a line dance. Next, a brown-skinned, curly-haired baby tackles aerobics, pushing to build up a sweat, and a pale infant with straight, black hair and brown eyes engages in ballroom dancing, with the narrator warning: “Better wipe before it drips.” In the final spread, a very clean, redheaded White baby displays a naked bottom for the “No Pants Dance” to close out the music. The spare text is full of nose-curling descriptions that lap readers who love the gross and stinky will beg to hear again. Independent readers may stumble over a few challenging words (swagger, routine), but the rhymes and illustrations provide context. Wetterich’s diverse cartoon babies all feature wavy lines to represent the smell coming from their diapers (except the cleaned-up, final child). Each dancer is well costumed and reflects the verse, with most of the babies seeming to revel in their stinkiness.
A vibrant dance tale for young readers who enjoy diaper humor.Pub Date: Jan. 25, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-578-76391-0
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Ava Jack Avenue
Review Posted Online: Aug. 8, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A nice but not requisite purchase.
A retelling of the classic fairy tale in board-book format and with a Mexican setting.
Though simplified for a younger audience, the text still relates the well-known tale: mean-spirited stepmother, spoiled stepsisters, overworked Cinderella, fairy godmother, glass slipper, charming prince, and, of course, happily-ever-after. What gives this book its flavor is the artwork. Within its Mexican setting, the characters are olive-skinned and dark-haired. Cultural references abound, as when a messenger comes carrying a banner announcing a “FIESTA” in beautiful papel picado. Cinderella is the picture of beauty, with her hair up in ribbons and flowers and her typically Mexican many-layered white dress. The companion volume, Snow White, set in Japan and illustrated by Misa Saburi, follows the same format. The simplified text tells the story of the beautiful princess sent to the forest by her wicked stepmother to be “done away with,” the dwarves that take her in, and, eventually, the happily-ever-after ending. Here too, what gives the book its flavor is the artwork. The characters wear traditional clothing, and the dwarves’ house has the requisite shoji screens, tatami mats and cherry blossoms in the garden. The puzzling question is, why the board-book presentation? Though the text is simplified, it’s still beyond the board-book audience, and the illustrations deserve full-size books.
A nice but not requisite purchase. (Board book/fairy tale. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-7915-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An accessible entrance into the world of social-emotional skills.
What do you do when the world turns upside down?
Freckled redhead Tilda is a happy only child with a rollicking personality. With lots of books and toys and a multiracial group of friends, life is perfect as far as she’s concerned…until her world undergoes a troubling change (a subtle hint in the illustrations suggests that Tilda’s parents have divorced). Suddenly, nothing feels right, everything seems hard, and she doesn’t want to play with her friends. To reflect this emotional disorientation, the artwork shows Tilda in spatially distorted settings, complete with upside-down objects. It’s not until she sees an upturned ladybug struggle persistently before getting back on its feet (despite Tilda’s desire to help, the ladybug needs to help itself) that Tilda gains the courage to start taking baby steps in order to cope with her new reality. There are still challenges, and she needs to persevere, but eventually, she regains her zest for life and reconnects with her friends. Despite this, the ending avoids an easy happily-ever-after, which feels just right for the subject matter. Though a trifle didactic, the story sends an important message about the roles of self-efficacy and persistence when it comes to overcoming challenges and building resilience. Percival’s digital illustrations use transitions from grayscale to color to create symbolic meaning and have psychological depth, deftly capturing a child’s experience of trauma.
An accessible entrance into the world of social-emotional skills. (author's note) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0822-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Dec. 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2022
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