A beautiful treatment of a familiar subject that repays close looking again and again
In exploring the concept of opposites at a zoo in nighttime, Na also explores a looser look than in many of his earlier books.
“The sky is DARK, and the Opposite Zoo is CLOSED. But the monkey’s door is OPEN! Time to explore….” And explore the monkey does, swinging past a wide-“AWAKE!” owl and a fast-“asleep” panda, checking in on a “Hairy” lion and a “Bald” hippo, offering an acacia twig to a “Tall” giraffe and calling to a “short,” nursing peccary over three successive double-page spreads. While the opposites explored are not particularly revolutionary, Na’s wry sense of humor is on display in nearly every spread, from the “shy” chameleon the monkey spots trying its best to blend into a rock, the “Soft” tiger about to learn why it’s a bad idea to mess around with a “prickly” hedgehog, and the monkey sitting silently among a tribe of “NOISY” baboons, the adjective repeated in all-capital letters six times on the page above to emphasize the clamor. Readers accustomed to Na’s baroque, layered patterns will be struck by the simplified, free style he adopts in this book for young learners. Broad strokes and energetic scribbles of color recall Brian Wildsmith, offering just enough detail to captivate without threatening to overwhelm the concepts illustrated.
A beautiful treatment of a familiar subject that repays close looking again and again . (Picture book. 2-4)Pub Date: March 8, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-553-51127-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2016
A satisfying friendship story to share with very young children in the days leading up to Halloween.
This board book twists the traditional “Teeny Tiny” tale into a less-scary Halloween treat.
This version uses a singsong-y rhythm and cadence to tell the story. “In the teeny tiny barn / Of a teeny tiny house... / Lived a teeny tiny ghost / and a teeny tiny mouse.” Of course the ghost (being teeny tiny) is not very frightening. “But the determined little ghost / Let her mighty courage through / And with a teeny tiny breath / She said a teeny tiny: boo.” Spoiler alert: After just seven page turns the ghost and mouse become friends: “And now the teeny tinies play / In the teeny tiny house. / Just a teeny tiny ghost / And her best friend, mouse.” Pumpkins decorate the cover and final spread and illustrations throughout are in autumnal hues. The fairly high-for-the-format word count—19 to 21 words per page—may be more than toddlers will sit still for, but the “teeny tiny” repetition and rhymes will help. The size (just 6 inches square) makes using the book with a group a challenge, but with a lap-sitting child, it’ll be a pleasure.
A satisfying friendship story to share with very young children in the days leading up to Halloween. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 30, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-31848-7
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: April 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
Fun format; bland text.
A hefty board book filled with ruminations on the nature of love.
While love is the topic of this board book, it’s the inventive gatefolds and charmingly vintage illustrations that readers will fall for. Brimming with sweeping declarations along the lines of “Love is / strong. // You have my back and I’ll always have yours,” the text sounds like a series of greeting cards strung together. It’s benign enough, but are most toddlers interested in generic proclamations about love? Some statements, like the ones on “unsinkable” hippos or a panda parent holding a cub “steady,” could introduce new vocabulary. At least there’s plenty of winsome critters to fawn over as the surprisingly sturdy flaps tell dramatic little ministories for each cartoon-style animal species. A downcast baby giraffe looks longingly up at a too-high tasty branch; lift a flap to bring an adult giraffe—and the delicacy—down to the baby, or watch an adventurous young fox retreat into a fold-down–flap burrow to learn that “my heart will always be home with you.” At points, the pages are tricky to turn in the correct order, but clever touches, like a series of folds that slow readers down to a sloth’s speed, make up for it. The book concludes with a gatefold revealing a vibrant playground populated with racially and ethnically diverse humans; two are wheelchair users.
Fun format; bland text. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4197-3153-2
Page Count: 84
Publisher: Abrams Appleseed
Review Posted Online: Dec. 24, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2021
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