Sure to satisfy toddlers and preschoolers, this father-child tale will warm many hearts.
“Down in the woods in the evening sun, / Big Daddy Rabbit said, ‘Come, Little One!’ ” So begins this tender book as a furry father and son make the most of the day’s last light to play.
Casey’s rollicking, rhyming text describes their romp, which draws the attention and enthusiastic participation of other woodland creatures. Soon Owl, Mouse and Bear—“the big happy crew”—“[dance] and they [shout] and all [sing] ‘Ya-hoooooo!’ ” But when some whirling and twirling finds the forest friends piled up “in a glorious heap,” poor Little One is left a bit sad and shaken. Fuge masterfully paints cheery bucolic scenes in watercolor. His close-ups of the rabbits convincingly show the soft texture of their fur as well as their loving bond through their large eyes and postures. Although the rabbits often run upright instead of on all fours, young readers won’t mind. Instead, they will relate to Little One’s abrupt swing from rambunctious fun one moment and overwhelmed unhappiness at the unexpected result in the next. All of the animals, regardless of size, show genuine concern at the sight of Little One’s tears. But Big Daddy Rabbit knows exactly what is needed—a hug and a lullaby gently soothe.
Sure to satisfy toddlers and preschoolers, this father-child tale will warm many hearts. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Feb. 10, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7636-7608-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2014
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it.
A succession of animal dads do their best to teach their young to say “Dada” in this picture-book vehicle for Fallon.
A grumpy bull says, “DADA!”; his calf moos back. A sad-looking ram insists, “DADA!”; his lamb baas back. A duck, a bee, a dog, a rabbit, a cat, a mouse, a donkey, a pig, a frog, a rooster, and a horse all fail similarly, spread by spread. A final two-spread sequence finds all of the animals arrayed across the pages, dads on the verso and children on the recto. All the text prior to this point has been either iterations of “Dada” or animal sounds in dialogue bubbles; here, narrative text states, “Now everybody get in line, let’s say it together one more time….” Upon the turn of the page, the animal dads gaze round-eyed as their young across the gutter all cry, “DADA!” (except the duckling, who says, “quack”). Ordóñez's illustrations have a bland, digital look, compositions hardly varying with the characters, although the pastel-colored backgrounds change. The punch line fails from a design standpoint, as the sudden, single-bubble chorus of “DADA” appears to be emanating from background features rather than the baby animals’ mouths (only some of which, on close inspection, appear to be open). It also fails to be funny.
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 9, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-250-00934-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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