A cute but not noteworthy journey into the ocean.
A smiling clownfish shows off its underwater home.
“Dive into the sea! Let’s meet my friends. / There’s so much to see. The fun never ends.” And thus begins a journey deep into the ocean led by a small clownfish that looks enough like a certain famous fish to catch children’s eyes but not so much that corporate lawyers will come calling. A large star shape cut out of the middle of the cover and framing the clownfish on recto is each page’s focal point, dwindling in size until it disappears for the final one. This gimmick doesn’t add much to the book, which is a fairly typical, generic tour of the ocean. Little readers will encounter grinning sharks, crabs, dolphins, whales, and other aquatic life that is par for the course for undersea board books. “Par for the course” pretty much describes the effort as a whole. The animal life is rendered as rounded, smiling figures, with greens, oranges, and purples popping them out of the blue background. Readers seeking verisimilitude will be maddened by the grinning faces drawn arbitrarily on crabs’ carapaces and jellyfish bodies.
A cute but not noteworthy journey into the ocean. (Board book. 1-2)Pub Date: May 24, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4998-0297-9
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
In this board book designed for the littlest llama lovers, adorable-as-ever Llama Llama (Llama Llama Red Pajama, 2005, etc.) gets ready for some Halloween fun.
Dewdney’s characteristic spare, apt rhymes convey a lot of action in effortlessly readable fashion. A charming and simple introduction to Halloween and its associated activities, this title finds little Llama Llama choosing and carving a pumpkin, pouring candy into bowls, picking out a costume and, finally, trick-or-treating. The costume Llama Llama decides to don—pointy teeth and a black mask and cape—is enough to frighten and fool his friends but not readers, who will immediately recognize and smile at the silly little mini-Dracula. With Dewdney’s characters as expressive as ever, young readers will be drawn right into the holiday fun, eagerly anticipating which costume Llama Llama will choose and excited to see him scare his friends and score some candy at trick-or-treat. In the equally appealing companion title, Llama Llama Jingle Bells,the little fellow gets ready for Christmas, baking and decorating some cookies in anticipation of Santa’s arrival. This simple holiday title will win Llama Llama new fans, and old friends will want to add it and its companion to their collections. (Board book. 1-2)
Pub Date: Aug. 19, 2014
ISBN: 978-0451469786
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Great for a birthday read and enjoyable all year long.
A little one grabs a pair of shutter shades and gets a major groove on.
"Who loves to party?" The board book kicks off with this question, and each page follows with a different animal enjoying a wild time in increasingly silly ways. Lemurs hang streamers, pheasants wrap presents, and the mole rat wears his party hat. The titular baby makes a grand entrance on the second to last page, answering the original question and taking this party to a whole new level. The rhythmic, internally rhyming lines encourage a thumping beat for little ones to clap or stomp along with. Young readers will delight at all the animals and the funky colors, and adults will snicker at the contemporary quirks of the party. More board books should have parakeets dropping beats and ocelots that rock a lot. Electric colors and busy compositions make for an appropriately frenetic accompaniment.
Great for a birthday read and enjoyable all year long. (Board book. 1-2)Pub Date: May 5, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4814-2994-8
Page Count: 30
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2015
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf
