Although far from unique, this gambol allows parents and children room to talk about seasonal weather and activities.
by Diana Murray ; illustrated by Diana Toledano ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2018
The delights of snow-day snow-play in a small town are enumerated in this early concept book for tots.
Snow falls overnight. In early morning, one puppy barks and two small children wake up. All three smile as they look out the window onto the snow-covered grass. Rhyming text sets a gentle pace as they venture outside: The humans pull on four boots, then the trio pulls their sled past five pine trees. In this childcentric tale (no adults in sight), they are soon joined by a diverse cast of six friends eager to sled, make snow angels, and build snowmen. (The two protagonist children have light-brown skin and straight, blue hair.) The spelled-out numbers appear in large colorful type, but numerals are not included—a lapse. Blue and white dominate the wintry palette, and the white landscape gives readers’ eyes plenty of space to focus on the items named and counted. A cozy feel is created by a series of soft, rounded shapes: puppy’s bed, children’s heads, snowballs, and pond. As the activities wind down, readers begin to count backward until the three are home again. The siblings enjoy two cups of cocoa and one puppy starts to doze.
Although far from unique, this gambol allows parents and children room to talk about seasonal weather and activities. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4926-4586-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: July 16, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2018
Categories: CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S FAMILY
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by Jimmy Fallon ; illustrated by Miguel Ordóñez ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 9, 2015
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 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015
Categories: CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S FAMILY
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SEEN & HEARD
by Will Hillenbrand ; illustrated by Will Hillenbrand ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 18, 2014
With echoes of “Frosty the Snowman” in the background, a snowman’s storybook within this wordless book delivers a comic wintertime romp.
Woodland creatures build a snowman, giving him a green book as a finishing touch. This addition comes right after a windswept top hat lands on his head, vivifying him à la Frosty. Hidden inside is a rabbit (it is a magic hat, after all); attentive readers will have seen the hat first on frontmatter pages and then with the bunny in the double-page spreads before the early ones devoted to the snowman’s construction. The snowman reads his book aloud to the animals, with the rabbit surreptitiously listening in, its ears poking out of the top of the hat. When the others all drift off to sleep, the bunny emerges and steals away with the book. A chase ensues across snowy terrain and through a series of pages (perhaps a few too many for good pacing) replete with comic-style panels. When the animals and snowman confront the rabbit in its tree-hollow home, its motivation for book thievery is revealed: This bunny has a family and wishes to share the story with its children. All’s well that ends well, and the animals convene (safely outside and away from the rabbit family’s crackling fireplace) to read together.
A cozy read for bibliophiles. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Nov. 18, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4778-4787-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Two Lions
Review Posted Online: Oct. 6, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2014
Categories: CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS
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