by Iza Trapani ; illustrated by Iza Trapani ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 4, 2015
A pleasant-enough diversion.
What can all the characters in Mother Goose's world do when the reveler in chief runs out of revelry?
Trapani begins with the familiar first verse of the nursery rhyme, with the trio of fiddlers (cats in green tunics walking on two legs) trailing behind the unmistakably merry monarch. But once he settles into his throne, Cole can't stay awake for the King Cole Ball. Some of his problem is the sweetness of the fiddlers' serenade, but also his party preparations have simply worn him out. Mother Hubbard and her dog, the Three Little Pigs, Little Boy Blue (depicted with brown skin and curly black hair), and Bo Peep (drawn with Asian facial characteristics) each have a try, but to no avail. All the Mother Goose guests pace the floor in distress, until the Queen of Hearts waltzes in with a tray to save the day. The heavenly aroma of her heart-shaped tarts jolts the king from slumber, and the taste puts him back in a party mood. Trapani's paintings, in watercolor, Acryla gouache, ink, and colored pencil, are bright and delightful, but they are busy enough that large groups will find distinguishing them a challenge. The story itself is amusing but does not stand out in the Mother Goose crowd. Music and extended lyrics for "Old King Cole" fill the last page.
A pleasant-enough diversion. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Aug. 4, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-58089-632-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: June 5, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2015
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by Nosy Crow ; illustrated by Nicola Slater ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 10, 2018
As a book, mildly satisfying; as a greeting card, rather expensive.
A cheery board book that plays the familiar tune.
Anthropomorphic animals, digitally illustrated with a vintage style and palette, play different musical instruments as they make their ways to a cafe to celebrate Otter’s birthday. There’s not much of a story arc in its 10 pages, which lends the book a greeting-card feel. Each spread highlights an animal or two and their respective instruments: Bear plays a flute, Badger strums a guitar, Wolf drives by with a bass in its truck, Cat plays violin, and birthday boy Otter hears Moose on the piano. Press a shiny musical note in each illustration, and the book plays an instrumental line from the familiar song. The quality of the recordings is quite good, capturing the sound and tone of each instrument, and the culminating spread is an ensemble playing the full song. A “glowing candle” is promoted on the cover along with the book’s musical feature, and it appears on a cake on the final spread when all the animals from the prior pages gather to celebrate Otter’s special day. In a potentially confusing turn, Wolf holds the cake instead of playing bass (a fox has stepped in), and an opossum and a rabbit play tambourine, though they weren’t pictured with instruments earlier.
As a book, mildly satisfying; as a greeting card, rather expensive. (Board book. 3-5)Pub Date: April 10, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-7636-9943-7
Page Count: 10
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
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by Nosy Crow ; illustrated by Gerry Turley
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by Nosy Crow ; illustrated by The Trustees of the British Museum
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by David Ezra Stein ; illustrated by David Ezra Stein ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 22, 2019
While this hardly reinvents the wheel, it is a solid addition to the children’s lullaby-book genre.
Spend the day with a little bunny and their papa as they explore the world around them to the familiar tune of “Hush, Little Baby.”
“Hush, little bunny, don’t you cry. // Papa’s gonna give you the big blue sky. / And if that big blue sky clouds over, // Papa’s gonna give you a patch of clover.” The winter snow has melted, and Papa is ready to take his little bunny out into the beautiful spring world. From tasty patches of clover to nibble to scary hawks to hide from, Papa teaches little bunny everything they need to know about being a bunny in the meadow. More importantly, he shows that he will always be there for the little bunny. Charming illustrations bring the bunny duo to life and will certainly catch children’s eyes right off the bat. Done in Stein’s characteristically loose and scratchy style, the bunnies frolic and gambol with abandon. Despite the reference to danger in the form of the hawks, the illustration depicts them wheeling in the sky in the distance; when the bunnies take shelter, they are cozily nestled in a burrow with no predator in sight. Caregivers will be sure to relate to the loving papa bunny, while children will enjoy singing along to the lullaby.
While this hardly reinvents the wheel, it is a solid addition to the children’s lullaby-book genre. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-06-284522-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 29, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2018
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