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 tender bedtime tale set in a too-seldom-seen northern world.
A quiet book for putting young children to bed in a state of snowy wonder.
The magic of the north comes alive in a picture book featuring Inuit characters. In the sky at nighttime, snow falls fast. / … / In the sky at nighttime, a raven roosts atop a tall building. / … / In the sky at nighttime, a mother’s delicate song to her child arises like a gentle breeze.” With the repetition of the simple, titular refrain, the author envisions what happens in a small town at night: Young children see their breath in the cold; a hunter returns on his snowmobile; the stars dazzle in the night sky. A young mother rocks her baby to sleep with a song and puts the tot down with a trio of stuffed animals: hare, polar bear, seal. The picture book evokes a feeling of peace as the street lamps, northern lights, and moon illuminate the snow. The illustrations are noteworthy for the way they meld the old world with what it looks like to be a modern Indigenous person: A sled dog and fur-lined parkas combine easily with the frame houses, a pickup truck, power lines, and mobile-hung crib. By introducing Indigenous characters in an unremarkably familiar setting, the book reaches children who don’t always see themselves in an everyday context.
A tender bedtime tale set in a too-seldom-seen northern world. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-77227-238-3
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Inhabit Media
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A soothing, logical, and playful introduction to mindfulness for young listeners.
What can you do when things go wrong?
Two children contemplate different ways to calm themselves down in this straightforward introduction to breathing, relaxation, and mindfulness. The younger, White-presenting child follows suit when the older, brown-skinned child proposes imaginative calming techniques. They picture themselves as various animals (goldfish, elephants, dragons) and objects (pinwheels, dandelions, wind chimes, flowers), inhaling and exhaling, that make deep breathing and calming down concrete and easy to comprehend. Simplified, whimsical illustrations add a touch of humor and a wink to the 1970s while preventing the story from becoming cloying, as soft, gentle instructions help the characters (and listeners) to understand some of the mechanics behind how to intentionally breathe and decompress. While not necessarily something that children will pick up unless they are learning about practicing mindfulness, this informative title has charm and warmth and will give youngsters some ideas as to how to self-regulate and manage their feelings as they learn to be aware of their breathing. Endpapers feature a multiracial array of children’s faces expressing different emotions.
A soothing, logical, and playful introduction to mindfulness for young listeners. (author's note) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 13, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-77164-637-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Greystone Kids
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
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