The Japanese versions’ bouncy rhythms are lost in translation, and even hopes for the sort of cultural insights that folk...
Fifteen short, simple songs in Japanese and English seem to be designed more for language practice than actual sharing.
The poems are presented line by line in Japanese characters (three different kinds are used, though only one per poem), a phonetic transcription and a loose but clunky and unrhymed English translation. They include authentically childlike celebrations of rabbits dancing (“Come see, come see the adorable dance / Hoppedy hop, hoppedy hop”), carp streamers “swimming happily in the air” and falling rain (“Picchi picchi chappu chappu / Splish splash, splish splash”). There are also wistful memories of “My Hometown” and a festival song that begins, “Our village guardian god’s generosity / Is what we celebrate on this joyous day / Boom boom, whistle whistle.” On an accompanying CD, tracks identified only by numbers alternate Japanese and English performances of each entry (the former sounding far more natural than the latter), sung in very high voices over solo guitar accompaniments. There is no printed music. Acraman’s art is more toddler-friendly than the lyrics, with plenty of muted but distinct colors and simple, blocky forms.
The Japanese versions’ bouncy rhythms are lost in translation, and even hopes for the sort of cultural insights that folk poetry affords go unfulfilled, since nearly all of the selections are attributed to modern lyricists and composers. (Bilingual nursery songs. 1-4)Pub Date: April 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-4-8053-1188-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tuttle
Review Posted Online: Feb. 28, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
Restless, sleepless Lucy decides to climb out of bed and wander through her hushed house.
Meandering rhyme bobs up and down in this nocturnal tale, rocking readers with its subtle irregularity and soft tonality. It drifts as Lucy drifts, around her house, into closets and the fridge, onto the porch, back upstairs and, finally, into bed. Dusky blues, purples and pinks establish a muted nighttime world, one through which Lucy perambulates quite comfortably. Children who fear separation and isolation at bedtime might find eye-opening solace in Lucy’s soothing ramble. Quiet solitary play (dressing-up, snacking, listening to far-off music outside, petting the family pup) suddenly seems exactly the way to find peace and slumber. Being alone in cozy darkness ain’t so bad! Lucy’s pleasantly blank, flat face, her wide-set dot eyes and simple u-shaped smile encourage children to identify with her, easily swapping their own experiences, their own faces, with hers. Schwartz’s deceptively simple paintings and line-work deliver enough domestic details (a coiled hose, a stray doll, dirty laundry, scattered bath toys) and slightly skewed perspectives to keep readers engaged, looking into every corner of the family home (just like the nomadic Lucy).
A bedtime book with sweetly anarchic undertones (why stay in bed?), in which verse and artwork lull and soothe to soporific effect. (Picture book. 1-4)
Pub Date: Aug. 7, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-59643-543-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Neal Porter/Roaring Brook
Review Posted Online: June 12, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Quibbles aside, this is a sweet tale for young preschoolers getting into the Halloween spirit. Similar tales abound, so...
What begins as a lyrical bedtime book featuring a friendly, freckled ghost evolves into a gentle rhyming interactive story for not-so-sleepyheads.
Lush language describes a spooky, dilapidated setting where “a family of ghosts” lives. Boo is the “littlest” and can finally stay up late and go a-haunting. After a rollicking evening of games with the big ghosts, Boo and his mama return home. When Boo protests that he is not tired enough to sleep, Mama suggests he “listen to the sounds of the house.” Once his eyes are closed, he can hear the ghosts whooshing, bats flapping, footsteps tapping, spiders clicking, a clock ticking. The thrice-repeated noises get more boisterous and potentially scary: Witches cackle, skeletons rattle, monsters moan, wolves howl. But always there is the gentle, reassuring sound of the ghosts’ whoosh. Leick’s illustrations with muted colors and soft textures feature amiable, transparent human-headed ghosts who cavort and cuddle on full-bleed pages. This is most successful on double-page spreads, less so in the frameless side-by-side pages, especially where the gutter cuts off an owl’s wing.
Quibbles aside, this is a sweet tale for young preschoolers getting into the Halloween spirit. Similar tales abound, so purchase as needed. (Picture book. 2-4)Pub Date: Aug. 28, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-375-86991-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Golden Books/Random
Review Posted Online: July 17, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
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