Nature and art intertwine in this multifaceted homage to the beauty and creativity that surrounds and resides within each of...
A child narrator, created from cut paper and paints, introduces readers to the beauty of life’s “forest,” both figuratively and literally.
From the balcony of a high-rise apartment, the child can see the top of the urban forest nearby. However, there’s also an indoor forest, one made of the child’s own artwork depicting all the wondrous things found in nature. A double-page spread that reads “My forest is crispy…and soft” depicts the child scuffing through fall leaves and gazing at a mossy spot in borderless horizontal panels on verso, while on recto those leaves are taped into collage images and replicated with sponge paints in corresponding panels. The child’s forest has many facets: It is “tall,” it is “short”; it is “fluffy…prickly [and] rough.” Every page introduces many characteristics that define the child’s world, and each is paired with both encounters with flora and fauna and creative use of varying art media to capture their essence. Colorful multimedia spreads convey the joy of discovery and model the different ways art can be used to express colors, textures, and feelings. Simple text offering a plethora of adjectives, some surprising (“dangling yellow, tiptoe gray, peekaboo purple”), and illustrations that are simultaneously complex and accessible make this a book to enjoy on many levels. The child has beige skin and straight, black hair, as do mom and a baby sibling.
Nature and art intertwine in this multifaceted homage to the beauty and creativity that surrounds and resides within each of us . (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: April 2, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-77138-930-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: Jan. 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A successful swap from coconut tree to Christmas tree.
A Christmas edition of the beloved alphabet book.
The story starts off nearly identically to Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (1989), written by John Archambault and the late Bill Martin Jr, with the letters A, B, and C deciding to meet in the branches of a tree. This time, they’re attempting to scale a Christmas tree, not a coconut tree, and the letters are strung together like garland. A, B, and C are joined by the other letters, and of course they all “slip, slop, topple, plop!” right down the tree. At the bottom, they discover an assortment of gifts, all in a variety of shapes. As a team, the letters and presents organize themselves to get back up on the Christmas tree and get a star to the top. Holiday iterations of favorite tales often fall flat, but this take succeeds. The gifts are an easy way to reinforce another preschool concept—shapes—and the text uses just enough of the original to be familiar. The rhyming works, sticking to the cadence of the source material. The illustrations pay homage to the late Lois Ehlert’s, featuring the same bold block letters, though they lack some of the whimsy and personality of the original. Otherwise, everything is similarly brightly colored and simply drawn. Those familiar with the classic will be drawn to this one, but newcomers can enjoy it on its own.
A successful swap from coconut tree to Christmas tree. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781665954761
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
A bit predictable but pleasantly illustrated.
Bill Martin Jr and John Archambault’s classic alphabet book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (1989) gets the Halloween treatment.
Chung follows the original formula to the letter. In alphabetical order, each letter climbs to the top of a tree. They are knocked back to the ground in a jumble before climbing up in sequence again. In homage to the spooky holiday theme, they scale a “creaky old tree,” and a ghostly jump scare causes the pileup. The chunky, colorful art is instantly recognizable. The charmingly costumed letters (“H swings a tail. / I wears a patch. J and K don / bows that don’t match”) are set against a dark backdrop, framed by pages with orange or purple borders. The spreads feature spiderwebs and jack-o’-lanterns. The familiar rhyme cadence is marred by the occasional clunky or awkward phrase; in particular, the adapted refrain of “Chicka chicka tricka treat” offers tongue-twisting fun, but it’s repeatedly followed by the disappointing half-rhyme “Everybody sneaka sneak.” Even this odd construction feels shoehorned into place, since “sneaking” makes little sense when every character in the book is climbing together. The final line of the book ends on a more satisfying note, with “Everybody—time to eat!”
A bit predictable but pleasantly illustrated. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: July 15, 2025
ISBN: 9781665954785
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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