TWO IS ENOUGH

Name: TWO IS ENOUGH
Author: Janna Matthies
ISBN: 978-0-7624-5561-4

by Janna Matthies ; illustrated by Tuesday Mourning ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 10, 2015

Readers in this living situation (both adult and child) will find comfort in the reminder that two is enough for support and...

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Two is all you need for a family.

Be it a mother and child, a father and child, or a grandparent and grandchild, two is plenty when you are surrounded by love. Modern families come in all shapes and combinations, and here Matthies happily celebrates the two-person family. Bouncing rhymes, always starting with the gentle platitude “two is enough,” follow various ethnically diverse familial pairs as the seasons change. In winter, after a snowball fight and creating a snowman family (of two, naturally), “Two is enough for a warm-you-up hug, / For toasting hot chocolate, mug against mug.” In spring, after a rainy-day bike ride, “Two is enough for scattering seeds, / For giving bouquets and a necklace of weeds.” Some instances falter a bit (how many children refer to cleaning as “refreshing the nest?”), but most are honest and true. Mourning’s wispy figures playfully cavort through the four seasons, with large smiles, high-fives, and hugs. There is no shortage of encouragement and love. In a bit of a design flaw, to some readers, the pairs on individual pages may automatically combine when looking at a full double-page spread to form one family, since the background landscapes are often shared.

Readers in this living situation (both adult and child) will find comfort in the reminder that two is enough for support and love. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: Nov. 10, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-7624-5561-4

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Running Press Kids

Review Posted Online: Aug. 4, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2015

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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by Janna Matthies & illustrated by Anthony Lewis

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YOUR BABY'S FIRST WORD WILL BE DADA

by Jimmy Fallon ; illustrated by Miguel Ordóñez ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 9, 2015

Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it.

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A succession of animal dads do their best to teach their young to say “Dada” in this picture-book vehicle for Fallon.

A grumpy bull says, “DADA!”; his calf moos back. A sad-looking ram insists, “DADA!”; his lamb baas back. A duck, a bee, a dog, a rabbit, a cat, a mouse, a donkey, a pig, a frog, a rooster, and a horse all fail similarly, spread by spread. A final two-spread sequence finds all of the animals arrayed across the pages, dads on the verso and children on the recto. All the text prior to this point has been either iterations of “Dada” or animal sounds in dialogue bubbles; here, narrative text states, “Now everybody get in line, let’s say it together one more time….” Upon the turn of the page, the animal dads gaze round-eyed as their young across the gutter all cry, “DADA!” (except the duckling, who says, “quack”). Ordóñez's illustrations have a bland, digital look, compositions hardly varying with the characters, although the pastel-colored backgrounds change. The punch line fails from a design standpoint, as the sudden, single-bubble chorus of “DADA” appears to be emanating from background features rather than the baby animals’ mouths (only some of which, on close inspection, appear to be open). It also fails to be funny.

Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it. (Picture book. 3-5)

Pub Date: June 9, 2015

ISBN: 978-1-250-00934-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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CON POLLO
by Jimmy Fallon & Jennifer Lopez ; illustrated by Andrea Campos

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DIGGERSAURS

by Michael Whaite ; illustrated by Michael Whaite ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 2, 2019

Count on construction die-hards falling in love, but discerning readers would be wise to look elsewhere for their...

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Less ambitious than Chris Gall’s widely known Dinotrux (2009) and sequels, this British import systematically relegates each dinosaur/construction-equipment hybrid to its most logical job.

The title figures are introduced as bigger than both diggers and dinosaurs, and rhyming text and two construction-helmeted kids show just what these creatures are capable of. Each diggersaur has a specific job to do and a distinct sound effect. The dozersaurus moves rocks with a “SCRAAAAPE!!!” while the rollersaurus flattens lumps with a cheery “TOOT TOOT!!” Each diggersaur is numbered, with 12 in all, allowing this to be a counting book on the sly. As the diggersaurs (not all of which dig) perform jobs that regular construction equipment can do, albeit on a larger scale, there is no particular reason why any of them should have dinosaurlike looks other than just ’cause. Peppy computer art tries valiantly to attract attention away from the singularly unoriginal text. “Diggersaurs dig with bites so BIG, / each SCOOP creates a crater. // They’re TOUGH and STRONG / with necks so long— / they’re super EXCAVATORS!” Far more interesting are the two human characters, a white girl and a black boy, that flit about the pictures offering commentary and action. Much of the fun of the book can be found in trying to spot them on every two-page spread.

Count on construction die-hards falling in love, but discerning readers would be wise to look elsewhere for their dino/construction kicks. (Picture book. 3-6)