by Deborah Niland & illustrated by Deborah Niland ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 1, 2006
A battle of wills reaches epic proportions when a determined tot and an intransigent pup have a standoff regarding a favored chair. In her household, Annie’s chair is sacrosanct and she alone is allowed to lounge upon its hallowed seat. Quite the despot when it comes to declaring her sovereign rights, Annie is enraged when she discovers the family dog reclining upon her throne. Niland deftly portrays a toddler’s megalomania when it comes to a special object, highlighting the humor in Annie’s tantrums. Benny the dog’s sang-froid is a perfect foil for Annie’s escalating furor. Toddlers—and their caregivers—will be driven to giggles over the pint-sized power struggle between the two. However, friendship saves the day when Annie bursts into tears from sheer frustration and receives a hearty dose of canine comfort. Niland’s brightly hued illustrations are as energetic as the tale. Bold graphic designs and contrasting patterns dominate, while her comic-style line drawings convey the full force of Annie’s imperial persona. Niland’s lighthearted tale carries a simple message about the art of sharing that toddlers are bound to enjoy. (Picture book. 3-5)
Pub Date: June 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-8027-8082-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Walker
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2006
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by Anna McQuinn & illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 1, 2010
Lola’s daddy takes her to the library every Saturday, where she finds “excellent books,” and every night her mommy or daddy reads them to her. The next day Lola acts out the story. On Sunday she’s a fairy princess; on Monday she takes her toy animals “on fantastic trips to places like Paris”; on Wednesday she’s a tiger, etc. Each new book and day provides Lola with a variety of tales to play out, with the last one—which is about a wild monster—posing the question, “What will Lola be tomorrow?” The final page shows her in a wolf suit just like Max’s. The library books, the pretending and the incorporation of the days of the week work together as a simple and pleasing premise. Beardshaw’s acrylic illustrations depict the multicultural kids and Lola’s black family with childlike charm, while the title will have librarians, parents and booksellers smiling. Alert: The book will be an invitation for lap kids to follow Lola’s lead—not such a bad thing. (Picture book. 3-5)
Pub Date: July 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-58089-258-2
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2010
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by Anna McQuinn ; illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw
by Anna McQuinn ; illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw
by Anna McQuinn ; illustrated by Ruth Hearson
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by Stephanie Stansbie ; illustrated by Richard Smythe ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 3, 2019
Sweet.
A caregiving bear shares with its cub how love has defined their relationship from the first moment and through the years as the cub has grown.
With rhymes and a steady rhythm that are less singsong-y than similar books, Stansbie seems to have hit a sweet spot for this offering on the I-love-you-always shelf. Readers follow the adult and child as they share special moments together—a sunset, a splash in a pond, climbing a tree, a snuggle—and the adult tells the child that the love it feels has only grown. Stansbie also takes care not to put promises in the adult bear’s mouth that can’t be delivered, acknowledging that physical proximity is not always possible: “Wherever you are, / even when we’re apart… // I’ll love you forever / with all of my heart.” The large trim size helps the sweet illustrations shine; their emphasis is on the close relationship between parent and child. Shaped peekaboo windows offer glimpses of preceding and succeeding pages, images and text carefully placed to work whatever the context. While the die cuts on the interior pages will not hold up to rough handling, they do add whimsy and delight to the book as a whole: “And now that you’re bigger, / you make my heart sing. / My / beautiful / wonderful / magical / thing.” Those last three adjectives are positioned in leaf-shaped cutouts, the turn of the page revealing the roly-poly cub in a pile of leaves, three formed by the die-cuts. Opposite, three vignettes show the cub appreciating the “beautiful,” the “wonderful,” and the “magical.”
Sweet. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Dec. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-68412-910-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Silver Dolphin
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2019
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