by Jarrett J. Krosoczka & illustrated by Jarrett J. Krosoczka ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 12, 2001
You’ll know the type, and here he is especially winning: a little boy who knows all the tricks to prolong the act of going to bed. Decked out in his monkey pj’s, the boy sidles off into the kitchen to grab a banana as soon as the call goes up for bedtime. “Sorry, no bananas before bedtime, Monkey Boy,” says his mother—the single sentence splashed across the page in big type that has the effect of whitewash—as she ushers him to the bathroom for some tooth-brushing. Monkey Boy is about to apply the toothpaste to his fiery mop of red hair when his mother intervenes and points him toward the bath, where he proceeds to turn the shower curtain bar into a piece of gymnastic equipment. Artful perspectives place mom as a presence, large and looming, even if it’s only her hand, but the child is always the center of each spread, in fact mom’s head and face are never seen. Finally, it’s into bed and ready for a story . . . hey, where’d that banana come from? “ ‘Good night, Monkey Boy. I love you, too, Monkey Boy.’ ” And sure as the sun is going to rise, once mom is gone, out comes the flashlight and the half-eaten banana. Despite the up-tempo delivery, Krosoczka’a story can be read as a bedtime tale—if not exactly a lullaby—for the voluptuous colors and the quilt-deep qualities of the full-bleed, double-paged spreads work like a hearty meal on the wakefulness of young readers. (Picture book. 2-5)
Pub Date: June 12, 2001
ISBN: 0-375-81121-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2001
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edited by Leah Henderson & Gary D. Schmidt ; illustrated by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
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by Jarrett J. Krosoczka ; illustrated by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
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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.
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
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by Jimmy Fallon & Jennifer Lopez ; illustrated by Andrea Campos
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SEEN & HEARD
by Caroline Jayne Church ; illustrated by Caroline Jayne Church ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 27, 2015
A good choice for caregivers looking for a positive, uncomplicated introduction to a new baby that focuses on everything an...
A little boy exults in his new role as big brother.
Rhyming text describes the arrival of a new baby and all of the big brother’s rewarding new duties. He gets to help with feedings, diaper changes, playtime, bathtime, and naptime. Though the rhyming couplets can sometimes feel a bit forced and awkward, the sentiment is sweet, as the focus here never veers from the excitement and love a little boy feels for his tiny new sibling. The charming, uncluttered illustrations convincingly depict the growing bond between this fair-skinned, rosy-cheeked, smiling pair of boys. In the final pages, the parents, heretofore kept mostly out of view, are pictured holding the children. The accompanying text reads: “Mommy, Daddy, baby, me. / We love each other—a family!” In companion volume I Am a Big Sister, the little boy is replaced with a little girl with bows in her hair. Some of the colors and patterns in the illustrations are slightly altered, but it is essentially the same title.
A good choice for caregivers looking for a positive, uncomplicated introduction to a new baby that focuses on everything an older sibling can do to help. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Jan. 27, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-545-68886-4
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2015
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by Caroline Jayne Church ; illustrated by Caroline Jayne Church
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by Bernadette Rossetti-Shustak ; illustrated by Caroline Jayne Church
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by Caroline Jayne Church ; illustrated by Caroline Jayne Church
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