Snuggle in close, and read together; a surefire baby shower hit.
A parent marvels over a beloved little one.
A tiny lamb with fuzzy wool—illustrated with digital textures—gently nuzzles a larger sheep. “Isn’t it amazing?” wonders the narrator. “I can’t believe it’s true… / Of all the children in the world, I had you!” The lamb cavorts happily in a sun-drenched meadow before turning to face readers in an extreme close-up, eyes wide. “You have the sweetest nose and the loveliest of eyes. // Your smile is the best, and your laugh is just right. / You were made for kissing and cuddling tight.” Even in the pouring rain, the narrator can’t find fault: “When you’re feeling down, you’re still my number one.” But amid all the newborn wonder, curiosity abounds. “You are so much more than the sum of all these things, // and I can hardly wait to find out what your future brings.” Outlined in thick, loose, black lines, the parent and child stand out against muted farmland backdrops from sunrise to sunset. Following a classic Dodd pattern, the text rolls gently along in sweet rhymes and, of course, brims with tenderness.
Snuggle in close, and read together; a surefire baby shower hit. (Picture book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 20, 2026
ISBN: 9781536247480
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Templar/Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Aug. 29, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2025
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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