The book is a terrific, if slight, way to introduce toddlers to Israel. The only danger is that they’ll spend the rest of...
Some people believe that the sound effects are the best part of a comic book. This story is for them.
If someone removed all the words from a graphic novel except for the sound effects, it would sound a lot like this board book. Sample text: “Rumble, bumble, zoom, zoom, zoom. / Kibbutz tractors vroom, vroom, vroom.” The book is a sort of Gerald McBoing-Boing guide to Israel, highlighting a different cultural activity on every page. Key words appear in brightly colored letters: In addition to kibbutz, for instance, there are “palm trees,” “falafel,” “pita,” “windmill,” and “matkot” (an Israeli game that’s similar to beach tennis but without a net). Mack’s digital illustrations are so stylized that, charmingly, the children in the pictures are shaped just like their matkot paddles. The pictures feature every shade of skin tone, which will make Israel even more appealing to many readers. The constant sound effects don’t leave much room for an in-depth look at Israeli culture, but the variety of activities covered in a 12-page book is impressive, and “pock, pock, pock!” is a surprisingly effective summary of matkot.
The book is a terrific, if slight, way to introduce toddlers to Israel. The only danger is that they’ll spend the rest of the day saying “glub, glub, glub” and “pock, pock, pock!” (Board book. 1-4)Pub Date: March 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5415-0969-6
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Kar-Ben
Review Posted Online: March 2, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2019
A playful, stealth introduction to a familiar tale.
Surprise, it’s a board book about Noah’s Ark, although readers might not immediately recognize the familiar story.
At first glance this cheerful board book seems to be about animal sounds. Pairs of doves, mice, snakes, geese, zebras, monkeys, and tigers move noisily across the pages, two by two. The animal sounds are repeated twice, along with the words they rhyme with, both rendered in uppercase letters. So the mice “SKITTER, SKITTER” and “TWITTER, TWITTER,” while the geese say, “GIGGLE, GAGGLE,” as their tails “WIGGLE, WAGGLE.” Finally, tying this all together, on the second-to-last page, a brown-skinned family in vaguely Middle Eastern dress appears, along with pairs of elephants, horses, sheep, butterflies, worms, and giraffes. Even on the final spread, as the animals troop into the ark, Noah is not named. A rather generic but positive message concludes this abbreviated Bible story: “They know that in STORMY WEATHER / friends like these should STAY TOGETHER!” That “stormy weather” is the only reference to the Flood, and there’s no mention of God. Caregivers who want to disguise their Bible stories may be pleased, while others will be forced to add further explanation on their own. Toddlers will just be happy to repeat the animal noises.
A playful, stealth introduction to a familiar tale. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: March 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5124-4443-8
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Kar-Ben
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
The photographs carry this board book even though the presentation and text disappoint.
Diwali, the festival of lights, is one of the largest Hindu festivals, and it’s celebrated all around the world; this nonfiction board book presents its sights, sounds, and celebrations.
Each page of brief, often rhyming text is paired with a vivid photograph depicting wide-eyed toddlers and young children of the Indian diaspora, with dark hair and skin of varying shades of brown. These photographs are the best feature of this book. The text, as narrated by an adult to a young child, talks about the various aspects of the Diwali celebration, including new clothes, prayers, henna, sweets, firecrackers. It occasionally reads awkwardly, and readers may have to hunt for rhymes: “Buy diyas, candles / and paper lanterns.// Henna for hands / and rangoli sand.” With its focus on very young children, the book shows how Diwali is celebrated rather than why. However, notably absent is the holiday’s important community aspect. And although there are multiple mentions of diyas, these beautiful clay lamps that are a highlight of this festival are neither depicted nor explained; neither are such other specialized vocabulary as “jaan” or “rangoli.” A short note at the back of the book gives a smidge more information for older children. There are not many board books for very young kids on this topic, and this one is not everything it could have been.
The photographs carry this board book even though the presentation and text disappoint. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Aug. 28, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4598-1908-5
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: Nov. 11, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2019
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