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EVERYBODY SAYS MEOW

Maybe not a first purrchase but an enjoyable addition to noisy storytimes.

It’s really a simple instruction: Say “meow!”

The leader of a group of cavorting kitties looks out at readers and declares, “Welcome to that magical time when everybody says, ‘Meow!’ ” All the kitties comply, but a pup leans in from off the page to say, “Woof.” The lead kitty patiently repeats the instruction, but the pup can say only “Woof.” The kitty gives in and amends the instruction: “Everybody says, ‘Meow’ [and] one guy says, ‘Woof.’ ” But then a frog leans in, croaking, “Ribbit.” After a short froggy interview, the instruction is changed again, now accommodating dog and frog. However, a “Quack” from a duckling in a hat disrupts the process yet again. So the final instruction is: “Welcome to the magical time when everybody says whatever they want!” That goes fine…but a “ROAR” startles everyone, and they all scatter, leaving a little lion to wonder if it said the wrong thing. Readers never learn the reason why this is “the magical time” to meow in Lombardo’s foolish furry picture book, but little listeners will likely enjoy the constant animal interruptions. The pleasantly silly illustrations feature simple, cartoon creatures with huge eyes and a two-dimensional appearance cavorting on a green lawn. The messages of inclusion and acceptance are welcome.

Maybe not a first purrchase but an enjoyable addition to noisy storytimes. (Picture book. 2-6)

Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2019

ISBN: 978-0-06-268988-7

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: July 27, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019

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LOTS OF LOVE LITTLE ONE

FOREVER AND ALWAYS

So sweet it’ll have readers heading for their toothbrushes.

Another entry in the how-much-I-love-you genre.

The opening spread shows a blue elephant-and-child pair, the child atop the adult, white hearts arcing between their uplifted trunks: “You’re a gift and a blessing in every way. / I love you more each and every day.” From there, the adult elephant goes on to tell the child how they are loved more than all sorts of things, some rhyming better than others: “I love you more than all the spaghetti served in Rome, // and more than each and every dog loves her bone.” More than stars, fireflies, “all the languages spoken in the world,” “all the dancers that have ever twirled,” all the kisses ever given and miles ever driven, “all the adventures you have ahead,” and “all the peanut butter and jelly spread on bread!” Representative of all the world’s languages are “I love you” in several languages (with no pronunciation help): English, Sioux, French, German, Swahili, Spanish, Hawaiian, Chinese, and Arabic (these two last in Roman characters only). Bold colors and simple illustrations with no distracting details keep readers’ focus on the main ideas. Dashed lines give the artwork (and at least one word on every spread) the look of 2-D sewn toys.

So sweet it’ll have readers heading for their toothbrushes. (Picture book. 2-6)

Pub Date: Dec. 4, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-4926-8398-8

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Review Posted Online: Sept. 16, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2018

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A KISSING HAND FOR CHESTER RACCOON

From the Kissing Hand series

Parents of toddlers starting school or day care should seek separation-anxiety remedies elsewhere, and fans of the original...

A sweetened, condensed version of the best-selling picture book, The Kissing Hand.

As in the original, Chester Raccoon is nervous about attending Owl’s night school (raccoons are nocturnal). His mom kisses him on the paw and reminds him, “With a Kissing Hand… / We’ll never be apart.” The text boils the story down to its key elements, causing this version to feel rushed. Gone is the list of fun things Chester will get to do at school. Fans of the original may be disappointed that this board edition uses a different illustrator. Gibson’s work is equally sentimental, but her renderings are stiff and flat in comparison to the watercolors of Harper and Leak. Very young readers will probably not understand that Owl’s tree, filled with opossums, a squirrel, a chipmunk and others, is supposed to be a school.

Parents of toddlers starting school or day care should seek separation-anxiety remedies elsewhere, and fans of the original shouldn’t look to this version as replacement for their page-worn copies. (Board book. 2-4)

Pub Date: April 1, 2014

ISBN: 978-1-933718-77-4

Page Count: 14

Publisher: Tanglewood Publishing

Review Posted Online: May 18, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014

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