A visually enticing book based on a simple and entertaining concept.
Lift the flaps to find out which creatures are making each sound.
Each double-page spread of this triangular book opens into a diamond shape, featuring a question about an animal sound written in large, bold, black letters on solidly colored flaps: “Who TRUUUMPETS? // Who says GROWWWL?” The repetitive structure of the questions makes this text feel like a poem. When readers lift the flaps, some of which hinge up and some of which hinge down, they will delight in finding gorgeously illustrated wild animals ranging from an elephant and a tiger through a monkey, an owl, a parrot, a lion, a frog, a bee, a mosquito, and a crocodile to a bear. Each illustration is colorful and heavily detailed, providing readers with visually rich, patterned paintings that invite close looks. The animals chosen are either already familiar to most children or readily found in many children’s books. Mroziewicz’s use of onomatopoeia makes this an enjoyable and effective read-aloud for younger children. The final spread unfortunately breaks the poetic pattern of the earlier text, transitioning from the question about vocalization to “Who sleeps all winter? ZZZZZZ ZZZZZZ.” The change feels like a bit of a jolt from the original rhythm, but overall it is a well-designed book that stands out for its gorgeous illustrations.
A visually enticing book based on a simple and entertaining concept. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-988-8341-81-8
Page Count: 22
Publisher: minedition
Review Posted Online: July 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
For toddlers unafraid of typical Halloween imagery.
A troop of cats traverse a spooky landscape as they make their way to a party hosted by ghosts.
Each double-page spread shows the felines’ encounters with the likes of an owl, jack-o’-lanterns or a bat. One or two of these creepy meetings may be too abstract for the youngest readers, as the cats hear eerie noises with no discernible source on the page. The text, which consists of one rhyming couplet per scene, mostly scans despite a couple of wobbles: “Five black cats get a bit of a scare / As the flip-flapping wings of a bat fill the air.” The sleek, slightly retro art, likely created using a computer, depicts the cats cavorting at night through a shadowy cityscape, the countryside and a haunted house; they may scare some toddlers and delight others. A brighter color palette would have given the project a friendlier, more universal appeal. Luckily, the well-lit, final party scene provides a playful conclusion.
For toddlers unafraid of typical Halloween imagery. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-58925-611-8
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: Sept. 24, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2014
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