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
As bright and bold as the holiday it celebrates.
An excited little one celebrates Easter.
The Easter Bunny is on its way, and Patricelli’s one-haired tot is thrilled. He prepares for the holiday by painting eggs and making bunny ears. On the big day, he excitedly looks for Easter eggs while his parents watch. The bold, rounded illustrations catch the eye, with a wide range of colors used throughout. The author pays a little lip service toward education by showing primary colors combining to create secondary colors, but the book's main focus is the exuberance that comes with celebrating the holiday, particularly when the traditions are so new and exciting. The enthusiasm is infectious, and read-alouds will most likely lead to little ones’ looking to do some arts and crafts of their very own.
As bright and bold as the holiday it celebrates. (Board book. 1-2)Pub Date: Feb. 10, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6319-3
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2015
Sounds like a winner, though the animal chorus is a bit thin.
Bunny hunts for carrots but finds noisy animal babies behind each flap instead.
“Bunny hops out of her burrow, / she’s looking for carrots to eat. / Can you help this fluffy friend / find a tasty treat?” The baaas, quacks, chirps, and horsey clip-clopping—activated by light as each of the first four big, shaped flaps lift—are gratifyingly loud and clear. All of the animal figures in the bright color pictures are intensely cute plush toys inserted into simple outdoorsy mixes of painted greenery and photographed flowers and bugs. Even the heaped carrots hiding behind the fifth and final flap are soft and fuzzy, though you’d never know that from the sound as Bunny hops on them (with a really loud boing) and chows down with crunches so comically amplified and rapid that caregivers too will laugh (at least the first dozen or so go-rounds). As no pressing of buttons is required to cue the sound effects, Bunny’s miniodyssey is suited to sharing at a slight remove with groups of toddlers as well as one-on-one. Batteries are replaceable, and there is (thankfully) an on-off switch on the rear cover.
Sounds like a winner, though the animal chorus is a bit thin. (Novelty board book. 18 mos.-2)Pub Date: Jan. 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4654-7853-5
Page Count: 12
Publisher: DK Publishing
Review Posted Online: Dec. 15, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2019
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