Sure to inspire calls of “READ IT AGAIN!” (Board book. 1-3)
A chunky board book with ingenious gatefolds, flaps, die-cuts, and construction trucks galore.
Like its series predecessors, this title has ample toddler appeal. Not only is its construction-site theme a passion for many children, its bold colors and thoughtful design will engage little hands and eyes as they pore over the pages. After the first two spreads show a wrecking ball smashing and crashing to open the book, two children peer out, asking, “WHAT’S GOING ON HERE?” and “CAN I LOOK, TOO?” Their pages open up as side-by-side gatefolds to reveal a vast scene with “SO MANY TRUCKS! SO MANY WORKERS!” Subsequent spreads home in on individual vehicles plied by racially diverse workers and their respective roles in building up a city block. Layout includes gatefolds that open vertically up and down as well as horizontally left and right, and many pages are shaped to visually echo the vehicles and objects depicted. While such familiar fare as a bulldozer, dump truck, and a crane appear, less-common vehicles and equipment emerge as well, with some of the more dramatic gatefolds and die-cuts revealing a tunnel borer, a massive bridge builder that spans valleys, and sky cranes hovering above like superpowered helicopters. The book culminates as workers take a lunch break and then throw themselves back into work to “BUILD, BUILD, BUILD ALL OVER TOWN!”
Sure to inspire calls of “READ IT AGAIN!” (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4197-2569-2
Page Count: 90
Publisher: Abrams Appleseed
Review Posted Online: Oct. 9, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2018
Clean design and invitations to action will help young builders become readers—expect to find this book in the sand box or...
This busy board book introduces five colors, five construction vehicles, and five physical movements.
Each spread begins with the same two couplets: “Noisy Yellow Digger meets someone new. / ‘What is your name and what do you do?’ ” An orange crane, green steamroller, blue dump truck, and red bulldozer each reply, “I’ll show you what I do....” Behind a full-page flap, each truck uses simple, first-person language to explain its basic function in relation to the yellow digger. On the opposite side of the now-open flap cheerful construction-worker bears invite child readers to mimic each vehicle’s action. Opening the flap also produces a truck sound that plays briefly. (The book’s speaker is in the rear cover, so readers may need to take care not to muffle it.) A radio appears with all the vehicles on the final spread, and the flap opens to reveal the bears dancing. The sounds seem almost incidental; the book’s strengths are clear, consistent illustrations and repetitive language. For example, the scene changes with each page, but the digger is always the same, and details (a bee, butterfly, or cloud) shown on the closed page can be found in the same place when the flap is opened. Small print on the back cover cautions that the sounds are light-activated, which makes this a poor choice for bedtime.
Clean design and invitations to action will help young builders become readers—expect to find this book in the sand box or on the road rug. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5892-5242-4
Page Count: 10
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
Here’s hoping more Everything Goes board books are en route.
A delightfully playful exploration of vehicles and opposites.
The usual opposite suspects are presented in one-word captions (slow/fast; up/down), but the vehicles are the true stars here. Biggs is a master at drawing quirky cars, trains, trucks and even unicycles that will appeal to wheel-obsessed youngsters and their grown-ups alike. The “Small / Big” page is a prime example of his humor, depicting a teeny compact car being overtaken by an enormous 18-wheeler bearing the words “MAXI Truck Lines.” The concepts are clearly presented, and art pops against bold backgrounds. The companion title, Everything Goes: 1 2 3 Beep Beep Beep!: A Counting Book, is equally energetic and enjoyable. One bus, two RVs, three fire trucks and more count their way up to 10. The endeavor ends on a page depicting a motley assortment of vehicles halted by a sole chicken crossing the road with accompanying text “1 BIG traffic jam!” While the oversize hardcover titles in the Everything Goes series also have strong toddler appeal, these board books have all of the enchantment of Biggs’ cartoons in a smaller, more accessible package.
Here’s hoping more Everything Goes board books are en route. (Board book. 18 mos.-3)Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-06-195813-7
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 27, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2013
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