Emphasizing collaboration and creativity, this lovely little board book is a wonderful wintertime selection for toddlers and...
A group of friends turns a snowball disaster into some spontaneous fun.
A sweet-looking little mouse with a red-and-white–striped scarf stands alone in a gently sloping wintry landscape with only a snowball formed by a small die-cut circle for company. The text reads, simply, “A snowball.” A cat carrying a backpack and cane soon arrives to help make it bigger. Next, a pig in a tuxedo and top hat is recruited to help push it. The three push the now-giant die-cut snowball over the top of a hill and right onto a little rabbit enjoying a carrot. Soon, everyone is plunging down the hill as the snowball gains momentum until it all comes to a screeching halt with a giant “SPLAT!” “Now what?” reads the text as the animal friends brush themselves off and stare at a big pile of snow littered with objects, including a scarf, hat, carrot, cane, and backpack. Inspired, the friends use the snow and the objects they all lost in the fall to fashion a snowman. The simple, clever plot is conveyed through sparse text, with the force of the story coming from the charming illustrations and the growing die-cut circle representing the snowball.
Emphasizing collaboration and creativity, this lovely little board book is a wonderful wintertime selection for toddlers and preschoolers. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-988-8240-42-5
Page Count: 16
Publisher: minedition
Review Posted Online: Oct. 13, 2015
Leave the hopping to Peter Cottontail and sing the original song instead.
An Easter-themed board-book parody of the traditional nursery rhyme.
Unfortunately, this effort is just as sugary and uninspired as The Itsy Bitsy Snowman, offered by the same pair in 2015. A cheerful white bunny hops through a pastel world to distribute candy and treats for Easter but spills his baskets. A hedgehog, fox, mouse, and various birds come to the bunny’s rescue, retrieving the candy, helping to devise a distribution plan, and hiding the eggs. Then magically, they all fly off in a hot air balloon as the little animals in the village emerge to find the treats. Without any apparent purpose, the type changes color to highlight some words. For very young children every word is new, so highlighting “tiny tail” or “friends” makes no sense. Although the text is meant to be sung, the words don't quite fit the rhythm of the original song. Moreover, there are not clear motions to accompany the text; without the fingerplay movements, this book has none of the satisfying verve of the traditional version.
Leave the hopping to Peter Cottontail and sing the original song instead. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-5621-0
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An upbeat early book on feelings with a simple storyline that little ones will respond to.
This simplified version of Diesen and Hanna’s The Pout-Pout Fish (2008) is appropriate for babies and toddlers.
Brief, rhyming text tells the story of a sullen fish cheered up with a kiss. A little pink sea creature pokes his head out of a hole in the sea bottom to give the gloomy fish some advice: “Smile, Mr. Fish! / You look so down // With your glum-glum face / And your pout-pout frown.” He explains that there’s no reason to be worried, scared, sad or mad and concludes: “How about a smooch? / And a cheer-up wish? // Now you look happy: / What a smile, Mr. Fish!” Simple and sweet, this tale offers the lesson that sometimes, all that’s needed for a turnaround in mood is some cheer and encouragement to change our perspective. The clean, uncluttered illustrations are kept simple, except for the pout-pout fish’s features, which are delightfully expressive. Little ones will easily recognize and likely try to copy the sad, scared and angry looks that cross the fish’s face.
An upbeat early book on feelings with a simple storyline that little ones will respond to. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-374-37084-8
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© 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
