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HOW MANY?

Name: HOW MANY?
Author: Guido Van Genechten
ISBN: 978-1-60537-746-9

by Guido Van Genechten ; illustrated by Guido Van Genechten ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 12, 2022

As undeniably charming as a child’s beloved stuffie.

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Counting one to 10 with stuffed animals.

This board book opens with the question “How many stuffies do you have?” From just one for Duck to 10 for a child named Tim, there’s no wrong number. Van Genechten’s illustrations feature mostly animal characters with their stuffies. Each layout includes a small chalkboard with the corresponding numeral. All of the animals and their cuddly friends are drawn in soft colors with fuzzy edges, adding to the snuggly feel of the book. The stuffed pals are chosen as specific fits for their owners, sometimes with a wink to readers. Duck, for example, has just one stuffie, but it’s almost too large for the little bird to carry. Penguin lines up a row of seven tiny snowmen, while the tallest animal (Giraffe) totes along eight of the smallest (mice). A sweet end to the book shows Tim, who has light brown skin and textured short black hair, in bed with 10 stuffies, the very same animals towing along their own loveys on the previous pages. This is a sweet read-aloud for introducing numbers and counting to a lapsitting child. The simple, large illustrations and anthropomorphized animals are appealing. While there is nothing groundbreaking here, it’s still instructive and enjoyable. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

As undeniably charming as a child’s beloved stuffie. (Board book. 0-2)

Pub Date: July 12, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-60537-746-9

Page Count: 20

Publisher: Clavis

Review Posted Online: May 24, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2022

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS

- BOOK REVIEW
WHAT ABOUT SCOUT?
by Guido Van Genechten ; illustrated by Guido Van Genechten

- BOOK REVIEW
WHAT DO YOU DO TO FALL ASLEEP?
by Guido Van Genechten ; illustrated by Guido Van Genechten

- BOOK REVIEW
PIP'S BOOK
by Guido Van Genechten ; illustrated by Guido Van Genechten

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LITTLE BLUE TRUCK'S SPRINGTIME

From the Little Blue Truck series

by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 2, 2018

Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come.

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Little Blue Truck and his pal Toad meet friends old and new on a springtime drive through the country.

This lift-the-flap, interactive entry in the popular Little Blue Truck series lacks the narrative strength and valuable life lessons of the original Little Blue Truck (2008) and its sequel, Little Blue Truck Leads the Way (2009). Both of those books, published for preschoolers rather than toddlers, featured rich storylines, dramatic, kinetic illustrations, and simple but valuable life lessons—the folly of taking oneself too seriously, the importance of friends, and the virtue of taking turns, for example. At about half the length and with half as much text as the aforementioned titles, this volume is a much quicker read. Less a story than a vernal celebration, the book depicts a bucolic drive through farmland and encounters with various animals and their young along the way. Beautifully rendered two-page tableaux teem with butterflies, blossoms, and vibrant pastel, springtime colors. Little Blue greets a sheep standing in the door of a barn: “Yoo-hoo, Sheep! / Beep-beep! / What’s new?” Folding back the durable, card-stock flap reveals the barn’s interior and an adorable set of twin lambs. Encounters with a duck and nine ducklings, a cow with a calf, a pig with 10 (!) piglets, a family of bunnies, and a chicken with a freshly hatched chick provide ample opportunity for counting and vocabulary work.

Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come. (Board book. 1-4)

Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018

ISBN: 978-0-544-93809-0

Page Count: 16

Publisher: HMH Books

Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S TRANSPORTATION

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE BLUE TRUCK AND RACER RED
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE BLUE TRUCK MAKES A FRIEND
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry

- BOOK REVIEW
TIME FOR SCHOOL, LITTLE BLUE TRUCK
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by John Joseph

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SPOOKY POOKIE

by Sandra Boynton ; illustrated by Sandra Boynton ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 7, 2015

A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character.

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One of Boynton's signature characters celebrates Halloween.

It's Halloween time, and Pookie the pig is delighted. Mom helps the little porker pick out the perfect Halloween costume, a process that spans the entire board book. Using an abcb rhyme scheme, Boynton dresses Pookie in a series of cheerful costumes, including a dragon, a bunny, and even a caped superhero. Pookie eventually settles on the holiday classic, a ghost, by way of a bedsheet. Boynton sprinkles in amusing asides to her stanzas as Pookie offers costume commentary ("It's itchy"; "It's hot"; "I feel silly"). Little readers will enjoy the notion of transforming themselves with their own Halloween costumes while reading this book, and a few parents may get some ideas as well. Boynton's clean, sharp illustrations are as good as ever. This is Pookie's first holiday title, but readers will surely welcome more.

A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character. (Board book. 1-3)