Sturdy and upbeat.
Children are invited to manipulate die-cut sliders to help seven childlike animals complete daily tasks in this entry in the Beginning Baby series.
Bright, cheerful illustrations introduce Paisley the octopus, Riley the narwhal, Mateo the red panda, and others. Each spread describes the task at hand with a simple declarative sentence, then addresses readers with a request and exclamation of praise. “Mia the monkey is putting away the toys. Can you help? Good job! You’re a helper!” Activating the slider sends Mia’s ball from her upraised paw toward the toy basket. Each robust slider contains an inset circle sized for small index fingers, but ease of manipulation depends on the paper engineering. Sliders that move horizontally or vertically are easy to move, but the three others, curved to visually describe arcs of movement, are a bit more challenging. The cartoon-eyed animals are pictured in a garden, in a classroom, and in homelike interiors. A final spread gathers the smiling friends together, inviting counting and spot-the-difference activities.
Sturdy and upbeat. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: July 12, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-79721-213-5
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A pleasant enough interactive tool.
Little ones learn to make animal sounds.
A mouse wanders the barnyard and meets several different animals, telling each one, "I like to squeak. How do you speak?" When readers lift a flap, each animal makes its noise as an electronic voice box sounds off. The inside of the flap asks a rhyming set of questions, one providing prompts for verbal interaction and the second, physical: "Can you oink like a pig? Can you dance a silly jig?" The audio triggered by lifting the flaps is cute, but unfortunately the desired effect only works a handful of times, and the (replaceable) battery inside the book doesn't last very long. Nonetheless, the interactive parts of the book will entice little readers regardless of electronic stimuli, making this a solid addition to storytime. The illustrations are bright but otherwise unremarkable, and the animals are pretty common, but readings will surely be spiced up by prompts to take giant leaps or swish a tail and bow.
A pleasant enough interactive tool. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-68010-505-6
Page Count: 10
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
Sounds like a winner, though the animal chorus is a bit thin.
Bunny hunts for carrots but finds noisy animal babies behind each flap instead.
“Bunny hops out of her burrow, / she’s looking for carrots to eat. / Can you help this fluffy friend / find a tasty treat?” The baaas, quacks, chirps, and horsey clip-clopping—activated by light as each of the first four big, shaped flaps lift—are gratifyingly loud and clear. All of the animal figures in the bright color pictures are intensely cute plush toys inserted into simple outdoorsy mixes of painted greenery and photographed flowers and bugs. Even the heaped carrots hiding behind the fifth and final flap are soft and fuzzy, though you’d never know that from the sound as Bunny hops on them (with a really loud boing) and chows down with crunches so comically amplified and rapid that caregivers too will laugh (at least the first dozen or so go-rounds). As no pressing of buttons is required to cue the sound effects, Bunny’s miniodyssey is suited to sharing at a slight remove with groups of toddlers as well as one-on-one. Batteries are replaceable, and there is (thankfully) an on-off switch on the rear cover.
Sounds like a winner, though the animal chorus is a bit thin. (Novelty board book. 18 mos.-2)Pub Date: Jan. 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4654-7853-5
Page Count: 12
Publisher: DK Publishing
Review Posted Online: Dec. 15, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2019
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