illustrated by Ekaterina Trukhan ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 28, 2019
Colorful fun for the littlest listeners.
Identify and learn about colors in this soft but durable book.
Designed by someone familiar with the particular kinds of, erm, love and attention that babies give books, this offering stands up to being chewed, moistened, and tugged upon. Less successfully, it’s insubstantially thin, meaning it may quickly vanish into a diaper bag’s detritus. However, if one can find it, it’s a treat to share with a little one. Graphically simple domestic and neighborhood scenes in lively primary colors are populated with cheery, doll-like characters. The pages are organically filled with circle-cheeked people of various skin tones and ethnicities as well as a person using a wheelchair. Simple text lyrically discusses the color featured on each double-page spread, engaging kids through a patterned text that presents specific questions followed by open-ended ones: “Feel the cool green grass? What else is green?” There’s plenty to find amid the flat art, such as green frogs and turtles or yellow bananas or giraffes, setting the stage for meaningful interaction and vocabulary building. It all wraps up on a sunny playground, with all of the colors surrounding the children in a “colorful world.” Companion books about shapes and numbers are almost as successful; the art’s clean lines work especially well in Baby, Find the Shapes. Baby Let’s Count stars ever popular farm animals, but having the numbers one to four sharing a double-page spread is confusingly busy.
Colorful fun for the littlest listeners. (Board book. 6 mos.-2)Pub Date: Aug. 28, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5235-0623-1
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Workman
Review Posted Online: Oct. 8, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2019
Share your opinion of this book
More In The Series
by Amy Pixton ; illustrated by Ekaterina Trukhan
illustrated by Ekaterina Trukhan
by Amy Pixton ; illustrated by Stephan Lomp
More by Eileen Spinelli
BOOK REVIEW
by Eileen Spinelli ; illustrated by Ekaterina Trukhan
BOOK REVIEW
by Amy Pixton ; illustrated by Ekaterina Trukhan
BOOK REVIEW
illustrated by Ekaterina Trukhan
by Laura Purdie Salas ; illustrated by Claudine Gévry ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 3, 2019
A good choice for a late fall storytime.
Animal behaviors change as they prepare to face the winter.
Migrate, hibernate, or tolerate. With smooth rhymes and jaunty illustrations, Salas and Gévry introduce three strategies animals use for coping with winter cold. The author’s long experience in imparting information to young readers is evident in her selection of familiar animals and in her presentation. Spread by spread she introduces her examples, preparing in fall and surviving in winter. She describes two types of migration: Hummingbirds and monarchs fly, and blue whales travel to the warmth of the south; earthworms burrow deeper into the earth. Without using technical words, she introduces four forms of hibernation—chipmunks nap and snack; bears mainly sleep; Northern wood frogs become an “icy pop,” frozen until spring; and normally solitary garter snakes snuggle together in huge masses. Those who can tolerate the winter still change behavior. Mice store food and travel in tunnels under the snow; moose grow a warmer kind of fur; the red fox dives into the snow to catch small mammals (like those mice); and humans put on warm clothes and play. The animals in the soft pastel illustrations are recognizable, more cuddly than realistic, and quite appealing; their habitats are stylized. The humans represent varied ethnicities. Each page includes two levels of text, and there’s further information in the extensive backmatter. Pair with Joyce Sidman and Rick Allen’s Winter Bees (2014).
A good choice for a late fall storytime. (glossary) (Informational picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5415-2900-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Millbrook/Lerner
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019
Share your opinion of this book
More by Laura Purdie Salas
BOOK REVIEW
by Laura Purdie Salas ; illustrated by Monique Felix
BOOK REVIEW
by Laura Purdie Salas ; illustrated by Alexandria Neonakis
BOOK REVIEW
by Laura Purdie Salas ; illustrated by Elly MacKay
by Sonia Manzano ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 15, 2020
Engaging, well-chosen images and a clear, coherent text illuminate the importance of empathy for the world’s inhabitants.
Large color photographs (occasionally composed of montages) and accessible, simple text highlight global similarities and differences, always focusing on our universal connections.
While child readers may not recognize Manzano, the Puerto Rican actress who played Maria on Sesame Street, adults will recognize her as a trusted diverse voice. In her endnote, she explains her desire to “encourage lively conversations about shared experiences.” Starting out with the familiar, home and community, the text begins with “How many WONDERFUL PEOPLE do you know?” Then it moves out to the world: “Did you know there are about 8 BILLION PEOPLE on the planet?” The photo essay features the usual concrete similarities and differences found in many books of this type, such as housing (a Mongolian yurt opposite a Hong Kong apartment building overlooking a basketball court), food (dumplings, pizza, cotton candy, a churro, etc.), and school. Manzano also makes sure to point out likenesses in emotions, as shown in a montage of photos from countries including China, Spain, Kashmir (Pakistan/India), and the United States. At the end, a world map and thumbnail images show the locations of all photos, revealing a preponderance of examples from the U.S. and a slight underrepresentation for Africa and South America.
Engaging, well-chosen images and a clear, coherent text illuminate the importance of empathy for the world’s inhabitants. (Informational picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4263-3738-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: National Geographic Kids
Review Posted Online: May 2, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2020
Share your opinion of this book
More by Sonia Manzano
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
by Sonia Manzano ; illustrated by Marjorie Priceman
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.