A delightful offering that will be especially welcome as a gift for baby showers and new parents.
A doting parent offers tender assurances to a tiny child.
An adult tiger vows that they will be everlastingly devoted to their baby and at their side in every circumstance, under all conditions, no matter what, no matter when—and without the child’s having to change for any reason…ever. The pair, whose genders are unspecified, are endearingly depicted very close to each other, their bodies often entwined, over the course of a day and night. The enraptured cub listens carefully, taking the warm, comforting, empowering message to heart, not missing a word as the pair explore their habitat, reinforcing the idea of togetherness close to home and farther afield. Loving words like these from parents to children can’t be said often enough—and children can’t hear such esteem-building confidences often enough. The tiger’s soothing words are delivered in gentle, lilting verse. The very sweet illustrations, created digitally, depict this appealing duo expressively; especially charming are scenes of the pair captured beneath a starry night sky. Though there’s little new here, parent-child affirmations are always welcome. Grown-ups sharing this title shouldn’t be surprised if their own offspring want to hear it more than once. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A delightful offering that will be especially welcome as a gift for baby showers and new parents. (Picture book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5362-2665-2
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Templar/Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2022
An excellent, rounded effort from a creator who knows how to deliver.
The farmyard's chickens experience Halloween.
A round, full moon shines in the sky, and the chickens of Boynton's barnyard are feeling “nervous.” Pumpkins shine “with flickering eyes,” witches and wizards wander the pastures, and one chicken has seen “a mouse of enormous size.” It’s Halloween night, and readers will delight as the chickens huddle together and try to figure out what's going on. All ends well, of course, and in Boynton's trademark silly style. (It’s really quite remarkable how her ranks of white, yellow-beaked chickens evoke rows of candy corn.) At this point parents and children know what they're in for when they pick up a book by the prolific author, and she doesn't disappoint here. The chickens are silly, the pigs are cute, and the coloring and illustrations evoke a warmth that little ones wary of Halloween will appreciate. For children leery of the ghouls and goblins lurking in the holiday's iconography, this is a perfect antidote, emphasizing all the fun Halloween has to offer.
An excellent, rounded effort from a creator who knows how to deliver. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Aug. 23, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-7611-9300-5
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Workman
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
An upbeat early book on feelings with a simple storyline that little ones will respond to.
This simplified version of Diesen and Hanna’s The Pout-Pout Fish (2008) is appropriate for babies and toddlers.
Brief, rhyming text tells the story of a sullen fish cheered up with a kiss. A little pink sea creature pokes his head out of a hole in the sea bottom to give the gloomy fish some advice: “Smile, Mr. Fish! / You look so down // With your glum-glum face / And your pout-pout frown.” He explains that there’s no reason to be worried, scared, sad or mad and concludes: “How about a smooch? / And a cheer-up wish? // Now you look happy: / What a smile, Mr. Fish!” Simple and sweet, this tale offers the lesson that sometimes, all that’s needed for a turnaround in mood is some cheer and encouragement to change our perspective. The clean, uncluttered illustrations are kept simple, except for the pout-pout fish’s features, which are delightfully expressive. Little ones will easily recognize and likely try to copy the sad, scared and angry looks that cross the fish’s face.
An upbeat early book on feelings with a simple storyline that little ones will respond to. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-374-37084-8
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
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