Older toddlers and preschoolers will relate to these not-so-sleepy pups and delight in their evening escapades.
Originally published in New Zealand, this title demonstrates how hard sleeping through the night can be, especially with seven friends in the room!
The folio dimensions—tall and narrow—of this board book provide an ideal canvas for the funny and all-too-familiar bedtime antics that take center stage here. The basic setup remains constant: two towering bunk beds, with four beds each, dominate the space, a simple lamp above each sleeping space. To begin, all the lights are off and all the beds are filled, but someone is snoring and keeping someone else awake. Turn the page and click—a light above the wakeful pup snaps on, and speech bubbles appear: “Are you asleep, Misha? Popov’s making so much noise.” The pups begin to wake one by one, all except snoring Popov, wanting one another’s toys or some water or to sleep in someone else’s bed. Before long, they all end up in Misha’s bed listening to a story and falling asleep in a big snoring heap on the top bunk, leaving poor Popov to wonder where they’ve all gone. While minimal speech bubbles help convey some action, much of the plot is to be discovered in the funny, detail-rich illustrations, which children will enjoy poring over again and again. It’s visually complex enough to make the usual board-book audience of babies and young toddlers a tad too young to appreciate it.
Older toddlers and preschoolers will relate to these not-so-sleepy pups and delight in their evening escapades. (Board book. 2-5)Pub Date: March 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-927271-95-7
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Gecko Press
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
Although no new concepts are introduced, not only will this title be a favorite at storytime, it may also serve as a...
Yolen and Teague continue their best-selling series with a comic look at what dinosaurs might and then should do when they are angry.
Whether a Barapasaurus sticks his sizable tongue out or a Scaphognathus pouts or a Sauropelta throws things, tantrums and bad behavior come to an end through counting to 10 or having a timeout or breathing calmly. Messes are then cleaned up, apologies are given, and hugs are exchanged. The preschool set will recognize the full spectrum of antics that result from pent-up anger and the occasions that provoke such stormy emotions. The text follows the familiar series format, posing questions to readers: “When he’s told to sit still, does he kick at a chair? / Does he act as if Mother and Father aren’t there?” This invitation to participate will have readers offering their own opinions on appropriate behavior. On full-bleed, double-page spreads, Teague delivers oversized creatures whose sizes and silly expressions make their actions appear all the more outrageous.
Although no new concepts are introduced, not only will this title be a favorite at storytime, it may also serve as a discussion starter about feelings and how best to express and cope with them. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-545-14315-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Blue Sky/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Aug. 27, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2013
The age-appropriate new vocabulary and the clever design will prompt hours of study by aspiring paleontologists; the sturdy...
At a hefty 96 pages and 2 inches thick, this dinofest will be a challenge for little hands to lift, but the subject matter is sure to intrigue for longer than most board books.
“Meet the Dinosaurs” announces the banner across the opening illustration of a museum entrance. Then gatefolds open over 20 inches across with the questions “Who are the dinosaurs? Where are the dinosaurs?” below a museum diorama. Subsequent pages provide the answers using an effective formula: a one-line simile comparing a dinosaur to something a child might recognize, a die-cut page that highlights a characteristic of that dinosaur, then a page turn that reveals the name of the dinosaur and its phonetic pronunciation. The final gatefolds open to reveal the skeletons of each of the 23 dinosaurs introduced. A blonde Caucasian girl and a dark-skinned boy serve as the museum tour guides. Some of the comparisons are rather obscure; the spikes of a stegosaurus are compared to tents on a hill, for instance. The book will raise as many questions as it answers—for example, the dinosaurs are portrayed in varied colors, yet there is no explanation as to how scientists have determined their coloring or other features—paving the way for investigation of the topic in greater detail as readers age.
The age-appropriate new vocabulary and the clever design will prompt hours of study by aspiring paleontologists; the sturdy construction ensures the book will survive them. (Board book. 2-5)Pub Date: June 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4197-1674-4
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Abrams Appleseed
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2015
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