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HUG ME LITTLE BEAR

Name: HUG ME LITTLE BEAR
Author: ImageBooks
ISBN: 978-1-4521-7521-8

by ImageBooks ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 19, 2019

The hugging puppet arms are charming and engaging, but where the novelty ends, so too does the quality of the story.

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A finger-puppet board book shows different ways a caregiver bear loves and embraces the little bear.

In this take on book puppetry, both of the big bear’s arms are plush, fabric manipulatives so that an adult reader can make the animal’s arms move, tickle, swing, or—as in the title—hug. Because the bear’s arms are a constant on each page, they must be long enough to reach through the entire book. That coupled with the fact that there are two of them makes for an uncomfortable (though manageable) hold on the right-hand side—using thumb and forefinger maximizes dexterity but makes for some awkwardness in turning the pages. Each two-page layout focuses on what the big bear’s arms can do for the little bear, and the illustrations show a shift in big bear’s gaze, stance, or expression in order to get the most out of what the puppet arms can add to the image. The digital illustrations are simple, allowing the puppetry to take center stage, but this also means they aren’t anything special to look at. The text follows suit; it’s dry and to-the-point. The similarly titled Hug Me Little Bunny follows the same pattern to focus on loving arms, ending identically with a hug. It also follows suit with lackluster illustrations and text.

The hugging puppet arms are charming and engaging, but where the novelty ends, so too does the quality of the story. (Board book. 6 mos.-2)

Pub Date: Feb. 19, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-4521-7521-8

Page Count: 10

Publisher: Chronicle Books

Review Posted Online: Jan. 27, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2019

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

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CARPENTER'S HELPER

by Sybil Rosen ; illustrated by Camille Garoche ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 16, 2021

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.

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A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.

Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: March 16, 2021

ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random

Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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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)