A delightful bathtime (or anytime) book perfect for reading aloud.
This children’s picture book celebrates a messy—and dearly loved—family pet.
Mori, an all-white dog with a pink tongue and black nose, has wonderfully soft, fluffy fur; as he states, “Everyone says I am perfect especially after bath time.” But Mori doesn’t want to be perfect; instead, he imagines the enchanting imperfection of being “muddy” (like a brown bear), “slimy” (like a green frog), “grubby” (like a pink pig), “scruffy” (like a yellow lion), “stinky” (like a red raccoon), and so on. But there’s nothing to worry about, his family says, as he’s already all these things, “but we still love you!” Now reassured that it’s OK to be himself, Mori rejoices and enjoys his bath. In her debut children’s book, Lam avoids tiresome moralizing about the virtues of cleanliness, recognizing that many children, like Mori, relish making a mess, which can be fun and creative. Of course, messy, stinky dogs, as well as kids, still need baths, but it’s easier without pressure to be perfect. The book has excellent read-aloud potential, making effective use of repetition and parallel phrases. Lam’s simple but charming and expressive colored-pencil and watercolor illustrations convey Mori’s personality while also helping to teach color names.
A delightful bathtime (or anytime) book perfect for reading aloud.Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-7750506-0-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: CYL Studios
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.
A collection of parental wishes for a child.
It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
