by Frank Asch ; illustrated by Frank Asch ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 10, 2015
A sweetly simple story that hinges on not just Baby Bear’s appetite, but his imaginative flights of fancy, too.
It may be hard for many American readers to believe, but Baby Bear has never had pizza before in this new offering from the beloved creator of Moonbear.
When Baby Bear’s parents take him to a new pizza parlor, their little cub worries that he may not like this new-to-him food. He does like the restaurant—it smells good, and he has a paper placemat to color on while he waits. When his food arrives, his worries are quickly assuaged when he tastes the pizza. Mama asks him if he likes it, and his response is emphatic: “ ‘Like it?’ cried Baby Bear. ‘I love it!’ ” That night Baby Bear sees pizzas in everything around him (the round moon, car tires, even a manhole), and he dreams of fanciful pizzas in his sleep. When he awakens the next morning, his parents offer various breakfast choices, but he rejects them and requests (what else?) pizza. Their chagrined expressions suggest that they see they’ve created something of a pizza monster with the prior night’s dinnertime outing. Fans of Asch’s prior Moonbear and Baby Bear books will recognize the anthropomorphic ursine characters, the art’s style and the simple story structure.
A sweetly simple story that hinges on not just Baby Bear’s appetite, but his imaginative flights of fancy, too. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: March 10, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4424-6675-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2014
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by Caroline Jayne Church ; illustrated by Caroline Jayne Church ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 27, 2015
A good choice for caregivers looking for a positive, uncomplicated introduction to a new baby that focuses on everything an...
A little boy exults in his new role as big brother.
Rhyming text describes the arrival of a new baby and all of the big brother’s rewarding new duties. He gets to help with feedings, diaper changes, playtime, bathtime, and naptime. Though the rhyming couplets can sometimes feel a bit forced and awkward, the sentiment is sweet, as the focus here never veers from the excitement and love a little boy feels for his tiny new sibling. The charming, uncluttered illustrations convincingly depict the growing bond between this fair-skinned, rosy-cheeked, smiling pair of boys. In the final pages, the parents, heretofore kept mostly out of view, are pictured holding the children. The accompanying text reads: “Mommy, Daddy, baby, me. / We love each other—a family!” In companion volume I Am a Big Sister, the little boy is replaced with a little girl with bows in her hair. Some of the colors and patterns in the illustrations are slightly altered, but it is essentially the same title.
A good choice for caregivers looking for a positive, uncomplicated introduction to a new baby that focuses on everything an older sibling can do to help. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Jan. 27, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-545-68886-4
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2015
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by Fran Manushkin ; illustrated by Lauren Tobia ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 25, 2015
The combination of lovingly humorous and detailed mixed-media illustrations and infectious rhymes will cause little ones and...
More than skin deep, this rhyming paean to diversity offers readers an array of families of all colors and orientations, living and loving one another in a vibrant city setting.
A giggling baby is tummy-tickled by her white and black mothers (or white mother and black father—impressively, the illustration leaves room for interpretation) in New York’s Central Park in its summertime glory. "This is how we all begin: / small and happy in our skin." This celebration of skin not only extols the beauty and value of various skin colors, but also teaches the importance of skin as an essential body part: “It keeps the outsides out / and your insides in.” Park, public-pool, and block-party scenes allow readers to luxuriate in a teeming city where children of all colors, abilities, and religions enjoy their families and neighbors. The author and illustrator do not simply take a rote, tokenistic approach to answering the cry for diverse books; the words and pictures depict a much-needed, realistic representation of the statement “it takes a village to raise a child” when a child skins her knee and many rush to her aid and comfort. Though her palette of browns is a little limited, Tobia creates sheer joy with her depictions of everything from unibrows, dimples, and birthmarks to callouts to recognizable literary characters.
The combination of lovingly humorous and detailed mixed-media illustrations and infectious rhymes will cause little ones and their families to pore over this book again and again. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7636-7002-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 11, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2015
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by Fran Manushkin ; illustrated by Bruce Degen
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