Not a totally shitty book, but not the shit, either.
The scoop on poop.
Cartoon art and cheeky text mark this as a potty-training book that uses humor to make young readers comfortable with toileting. The downside to this is that some may be a bit uncomfortable with the humor’s tone, which veers toward the gross and has little regard for privacy. On the former point, poop is likened to food: “Cows make huge poops like a pizza! And goats make little balls, like olives.” (Eeew.) On the latter point, the narrator, a boy who seems well beyond potty-training age, has a series of four spreads toward the end devoted to answering “What about me? What about you? How do we poop?” He’s first depicted running down a hallway clutching his backside, then sitting on the toilet while his sister brings a roll of toilet paper. Then, on a page with a closed bathroom door, text reads, “Sometimes a few little farts escape,” before a page-turn shows the boy, red-faced and straining while his sister and their cat literally cheer him on, complete with pompoms. The rest of the family joins in on the cheering on the next page when (“PLOP!”) he successfully poops. It’s a logical conclusion but an oddly public one for a child who seems decidedly older than the implied toddler audience. The narrator and his family present white.
Not a totally shitty book, but not the shit, either. (Picture book. 2-4)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-2281-0083-6
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Firefly
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Adults looking for an easy entry into this subject will not be disappointed.
This book presents a simplified explanation of the role the atmosphere plays in controlling climate.
The authors present a planet as a ball and its atmosphere as a blanket that envelops the ball. If the blanket is thick, the planet will be hot, as is the case for Venus. If the blanket is thin, the planet is cold, as with Mars. Planet Earth has a blanket that traps “just the right amount of heat.” The authors explain trees, animals, and oceans are part of what makes Earth’s atmosphere “just right.” “But…Uh-oh! People on Earth are changing the blanket!” The book goes on to explain how some human activities are sending “greenhouse gases” into the atmosphere, thus “making the blanket heavier and thicker” and “making Earth feel unwell.” In the case of a planet feeling unwell, what would the symptoms be? Sea-level rises that lead to erosion, flooding, and island loss, along with extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, blizzards, and wildfires. Ending on a constructive note, the authors name a few of the remedies to “help our Earth before it’s too late!” By using the blanket analogy, alongside simple and clear illustrations, this otherwise complex topic becomes very accessible to young children, though caregivers will need to help with the specialized vocabulary.
Adults looking for an easy entry into this subject will not be disappointed. (Board book. 3-4)Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4926-8082-6
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Sourcebooks eXplore
Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2020
This whale of a metaphor requires adult assistance to really flow.
Following the pattern set in Yoga Bug and Yoga Bear (2017, 2018), 10 toddlers model yoga poses whimsically named after sea creatures.
Their varied skin tones, hairstyles, and yoga clothes, which match the coloring of their animal partners, stand out against solid-color backgrounds. The brief text describes both animal behavior and the depicted child’s actions. Appropriately, Hinder begins and ends with deep breathing and relaxation, starting with deep breathing that makes “your tummy grow,” illustrated by a puffer fish, and finishing with a “sparkly stretch,” illustrated by a smiling “Starfish.” In between, her fanciful descriptions of yoga poses are not always useful. Young children unfamiliar with sea horses may be mystified by that metaphor. The poses emulating a dolphin and a crab are clear, but “Shark” (for boat or locust pose) or “Sea Urchin” for child pose are a stretch. A child in happy-baby pose waving four limbs is paired with an eight-legged octopus. The picture of a child in a wide-legged forward fold (“Jellyfish”) does not indicate how to move into the position. Thankfully, the final spread includes a thumbnail picture of each child in their posture along with the common name of that pose and clear instructions in small print.
This whale of a metaphor requires adult assistance to really flow. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Feb. 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-68364-076-9
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Sounds True
Review Posted Online: March 2, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2019
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