These Checkers and Dot adventures, while not share-aloud superstars, are nifty for leaving in baby’s reach for spontaneous...
A simple black-and-white board book takes toddlers on a trip to the farm.
Checkers and Dot (named for the patterns on their clothing) take their cat Stripesy and dog Spot to the farm, where they investigate what’s inside the barn. In simple, rhyming text—only a couple of short lines per page—the little group meets a cow who “says hello with a Moo, Moo, Moo” and a horse who “eats hay with a chew, chew, chew.” After next encountering some chickens and a grouchy duck, the cat and dog are ready to leave, so Checkers and Dot say goodbye. While the text is occasionally a bit awkward and rhythmically stilted, it is simple and sparse enough for the board-book crowd, with an appropriate vocabulary as well. The appealing black-and-white illustrations feature lots of interesting patterns sure to get little ones’ attention. In a companion volume, Checkers and Dot at the Beach, the crew counts animals, from one crab to five fish. Here, too, the slightly strange story is rescued by the crisp, high-contrast illustrations, featuring large numerals in addition to patterns this time.
These Checkers and Dot adventures, while not share-aloud superstars, are nifty for leaving in baby’s reach for spontaneous exploration and play. (Board book. 3 mos.-3)Pub Date: May 14, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-77049-443-5
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: May 21, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2013
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A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character.
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)Pub Date: July 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-553-51233-5
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Robin Corey/Random
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come.
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
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