This is a book with much to offer to children, from tiny babies who will laugh at the funny birds through preschoolers who...
A clever cast of avian characters conveys the meaning of several directional terms in this innovative lift-the-flap book that will appeal to babies and toddlers as well as children just beginning to read.
Long’s captivating illustrations use thick, black outlines and cartoon-style birds in bright shades of purple, green and orange. The book is divided into three short episodes that illustrate the concepts of tall/small, high/low and up/down. Each episode features three or more birds, with just a few words of dialogue in speech balloons using the simplest vocabulary. The bird groups each tell a tiny but complete story illustrating their concept, with birds flying up or floating up with balloons and, of course, coming back down again in various ways. A three-quarter-sized gatefold flap at the end of each episode lifts up to extend the story in some humorous way related to the tall/high/up concepts, with several unexpected twists and funny effects. Though the volume has a regular hard cover and medium trim size, the pages are printed on sturdy coated paper to facilitate the handling of the flap pages.
This is a book with much to offer to children, from tiny babies who will laugh at the funny birds through preschoolers who will get the clever jokes to 5- and 6-year-olds who might find this a very first read-alone. (Picture book/early reader. 1-6)Pub Date: Feb. 16, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-399-25611-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Dec. 20, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2012
An amusing exploration of how opposite personalities can learn to appreciate their unique relationship.
Hudson and Tallulah, dog and cat (respectively) neighbors and archenemies, find they can have some companionable moments.
Tallulah happily chases a bluebird in her yard, hears loud barking, climbs atop the property’s dividing fence, and sees Hudson busily digging a hole under the fence. “WHAT are you doing?” she demands. Hudson replies, “I’m busting out. Fences keep me trapped.” Tallulah disagrees: “Fences keep us safe.” But her curiosity wins the day, and she follows him down the block, where Hudson begins to explore an overfilled garbage can he calls a breakfast “feast.” Tallulah counters, “Feast? It’s garbage.” Then she begins to chase a butterfly. At the dog park Hudson is enthusiastically welcomed and Tallulah is uproariously rejected. “Why would anyone want a dog for a friend?” bemoans Tallulah, the white space above her crammed full of all-caps iterations of cat and bark. Charming cartoons convey the nearly wordless story augmented with dialogue between the two rivals. Hudson’s feisty, adventurous, fun-loving attitude parallels Tallulah’s elegant, proper persona, with the two arguing constantly until the opportunity to really enjoy something together presents itself via some play in a large bird-filled puddle. The frenemies soften their squabbling and end up side by side outside their respective yards. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 50% of actual size.)
An amusing exploration of how opposite personalities can learn to appreciate their unique relationship. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 27, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5420-0668-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Two Lions
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
Little fingers will enjoy exploring these pages again and again
A day in Baby’s life, with flaps, textures, sparkly bling, and mirrors to explore.
The first double-page spread, in bright, sunny colors, invites a white baby with blond hair to wake up and asks the reader, “What will baby see?” Beyond the baby’s crib is a room full of toys and a window with a blazing sun and three butterflies in flight. The subsequent spreads show different babies (the second one has a dark brown complexion, the next two are white, and the final tot is possibly of Asian descent) eating, getting dressed, playing in the park, and then back in the crib for the night. Each page follows the same formula, with relatively sturdy flaps to lift or open and at least one tactile element per page, which are a mix of embossed elements or textiles embedded in the page. Katz’s signature bright and cheery patterns and chubby, cherubic babes are in top form here, and the 10 1/2–inch-square trim is an ideal canvas. Serviceable text provides simple descriptors, and captions label many of the objects in each baby’s world.
Little fingers will enjoy exploring these pages again and again . (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4814-8830-3
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
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