In a French import that explores emotional and aesthetic responses to color, George the duck (George’s Store at the Shore, 1998) tries to settle on a color to paint his house. Red? The ladybugs are encouraging: “Red is joyful, a splendid color!” Blue? “The color of dreams,” sings a bluebird. Orange? Purple? Black? George’s country villa, surrounded by flowers and vineyards, makes an idyllic background for his considerations; although Bassäde mixes flora from different seasons together and misnames (at least for the US audience) some yellow flowers “mimosa,” her free brushwork and soft hues create a pleasing atmosphere. George eventually chooses a harmonious gray-green, then invites all of his animal advisors to a garden party, shown on a wordless spread in which all his options are visually reprised. This is a horizon-expanding next step after color primers such as Bill Martin’s Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (1967). (Picture book. 6-7)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-531-30150-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Orchard
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
Baker (Big Fat Hen, 1994, etc.) engages in more number play, posing ducklings in every combination of groups, e.g., “Splashing as they leap and dive/7 ducklings, 2 plus 5.” Using a great array of streaked and dappled papers, Baker creates a series of leafy collage scenes for the noisy, exuberant ducklings to fill, tucking in an occasional ladybug or other small creature for sharp-eyed pre-readers to spot. Children will regretfully wave goodbye as the ducks fly off in neat formation at the end of this brief, painless introduction to several basic math concepts. (Picture book. 4-6)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-15-292858-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1999
As she lovingly details the comfortable disarray of a perfectly splendid staircase, a small mouse counts off the stairs in a game she has clearly played many times. The rhyme skips and leaps from “First step. Rain step,” because that’s where her puddle boots are, to the third step, where the window seat is, to the sixth, where she can peer into her own bedroom, to the eleventh where the night light lives, and the twelfth where she can go back down and start again. She’s accompanied by her little sister and readers catch a glimpse at the end of a mother, father, and baby, too. The details are whimsical, and the rhyme infectious. A real treat, perfectly centered on a small child’s perceptions and experience. (Picture book. 3-7)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1999
ISBN: 1-886910-34-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1999
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