Foster’s tour of New York is a delightful vocabulary builder; her London jaunt is a bit of a muddle.
Twenty-two typical and mostly iconic sights offer young readers a taste of the Big Apple.
This exceptionally sturdy and elegantly designed board book is a perfect introduction to the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of New York City. Foster is both an illustrator and a textile designer. This happy combination of talents lends itself to engagingly executed images that are simple and tasteful in design but rich in small detail. Strong lines and uncluttered images stand out against boldly colored backgrounds, some monochromatic, others patterned. The Statue of Liberty, her robes, hair, and crown a deep blue, holds her torch aloft, yellow and orange flames bright against a rich, red background. The red fruit and green leaves depicting New York’s affectionate namesake, the “Big Apple,” stand out against a simple, repeating aqua-blue pattern. The omnipresent pigeon is transformed from urban nuisance to a thing of beauty by virtue of simple, complementary patterns and color on its wing, belly, and collar, the blue and gray of the bird highlighted against a dazzling, yellow patterned background. Text is confined to simple identifications of pictured items: “traffic lights,” “fire hydrant,” “pizza,” “pretzel,” “Brooklyn Bridge,” “Empire State Building,” and “hotdog,” for example. Though the book is non-narrative, the exciting and easily recognized images should make this primer on urban life a favorite. Publishing simultaneously, Jane Foster’s London offers the same pigeon in mirror image as well as a sampler of that city’s iconic images. The language is American: “mailbox” instead of “pillar box” or “post box,” “tennis racket,” instead of “tennis racquet,” and “rain boots” instead of “Wellingtons” or “wellies.” The plate of “fish and chips” depicts not a deep-fried fillet but an entire fish with staring eye surrounded by yellow rectangles and green circles (chips and peas, but not mushy ones).
Foster’s tour of New York is a delightful vocabulary builder; her London jaunt is a bit of a muddle. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: May 4, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4998-0488-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Don’t judge this book by its cover; there’s an unusual concept and whimsical illustrations hiding underneath
A series of solid shapes substitute for natural objects in this board book that is somewhere between concept book and riddle game.
What’s that shape supposed to be? Running across a rust-brown labeled triangle, amid trees and elk, the text “Climb a TRIANGLE to the top” suggests the shape is a mountain; in an ocean scene with a red “STAR washed in on the waves,” the shape implies a sea star. Ample visual cues give young readers enough context to guess what the shape evokes, with some unexpected touches, such as “HEXAGON” printed on hexagonal honeycombs buzzing with bees and surrounded by golden flowers. Short, commanding sentences keep things humming, but with only six shapes covered, the book feels all too brief. Illustrator Devernay combines delicate pencil line drawings and sketchy gray-black shading with tiny, meticulously cut colored-paper collage to create her plants and animals. The most intimate drawings amaze. Close-ups of smooth stones are so appealing that readers will long to pick one up and “rub a smooth OVAL between thumb and finger.” Sadly, the cover doesn’t do the interior justice, and things get murky when several hues mix there and on the final spread. But on other spreads, where there’s a single color, it pops against the gray, such as the minute yellow beaks on the flock of charcoal birds circling the yellow “CIRCLE” sun.
Don’t judge this book by its cover; there’s an unusual concept and whimsical illustrations hiding underneath . (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: March 13, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-56846-317-9
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Creative Editions/Creative Company
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
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Useful for toddling birders in need of board books about colors.
Gorgeous birds amid foliage of similar hues introduce eight basic colors.
The two birds presented on each spread not only are of similar coloration, but also live in the same North American habitat. A scarlet tanager and a cardinal, both male, perch in a red maple tree; a male Eastern bluebird and a blue jay appear with morning glories and blueberries. The name of each color is printed in large font, while the name of each bird is in a much smaller one. Whether the bird shown is male or female, or if the male and female have similar coloring, is also indicated. The names of the trees they perch upon are identified in a note on the back cover. These details will be lost on most toddlers, but caregivers will appreciate being able to answer questions knowledgeably. Colors featured are from the standard box of crayons, except that pink is substituted for purple. Black and white share a spread. The cover image, of a cardinal, goldfinch, and bluebird in a birdbath, is not nearly as inviting as the images within. The final spread shows children (one white, one black, one Asian) assembling a puzzle that includes the same birds. This may serve as a reprise but will probably be skipped over. Bird-loving readers will probably feel that the space could have been put to better use by giving white birds their own page or adding a purple martin.
Useful for toddling birders in need of board books about colors. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: May 2, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-58089-742-6
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: April 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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