Fussy dressers, this one’s for you! “NOT THESE CLOTHES!” hollers a pigtailed, underwear-clad narrator, her bellow stretching across a double-page spread to a mom-like figure holding a towering pile of options. The girl tries and rejects each outfit in swift, glorious, rhyming, upper-case complaint: “Too purpley, too tickly, / too puckery, / too prickly. / Too itchy, / too scratchy, / too stitchy, / too matchy!” Too strappy’s covered in buckles; too baggy’s a paper sack. Leloup’s digital illustrations are two-dimensional but energetic, her protagonist a vehement preschooler with a Charlie Brown–shaped head. A wee turtle companionably echoes the outfit changes, as does the background wallpaper. This smorgasbord of colors and patterns approaches garishness, but only the too stripey spread glares painfully (and even the character shuts her eyes in disgust). It’s too bad the last page isn’t more harmonious in hue, as the girl finally (and inexplicably—but isn’t that how it works?) declares a jumper over jeans and turtleneck to be “So comfy! Just right.” Clothing-decision screamers and their caretakers will relate and laugh. (Picture book. 2-5)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-59990-307-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: June 20, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A cheery little girl and her dad plan a shopping trip, go to the grocery store (by bike), purchase ingredients and go home to make pizza for the whole family (a biracial one, in a nice touch). An enthusiastic running commentary narrates the activities, which all go smoothly and safely, with just a bit of mess. Birkett’s bright, line-and-color illustrations focus on the child and her contributions, evoking Aliki in line and mood. The narration, which seems to include both the child and her father’s dialogue without distinction, may confuse some readers slightly, but its rapid-fire enthusiasm is appealing. This entry in the Helping Hands series is joined by Clean It! (ISBN: 978-1-84643-283-6), Fix It! (ISBN: 978-1-84643-286-6) and Grow It! (ISBN: 978-1-84643-285-9). All have a thinner-than-usual page stock that suits them, appropriately, to toddlers. (Board book. 2-4)
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-84643-284-2
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Child's Play
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2010
We’ll say it: a toothsome experience.
Flash those pearly whites!
Renowned poet Florian’s jaunty rhymes suggest that a hygiene ritual many children consider bothersome can be “fun! fun! fun!” Each spread features lively scenes showing kids demonstrating tooth- and mouth-cleansing techniques as well as two couplets in which the second exclamatory lines—containing a word repeated three times—rhyme with each other (“Toothpaste on the / brush! brush! brush!” “Take your time. / Don’t rush! rush! rush!”). Parents and caregivers seeking an enjoyable, stimulating way to motivate youngsters to perform this important daily task may wish to recite the rollicking verses to provide a pleasant, rhythmic, chanting “background” whenever their kids wield their toothbrushes. The colorful, energetic illustrations depict happy, wide-eyed, racially diverse small children—some with missing teeth—taking care of their oral-hygiene business with gusto. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
We’ll say it: a toothsome experience. (Board book. 2-5)Pub Date: July 5, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-4998-1340-1
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2022
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