by Jed Henry ; illustrated by Jed Henry ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 8, 2013
A sweet addition to the bedtime-book shelf.
A sleepy mouse gets some shut-eye after soothing help from a bevy of friends in this follow-up to Cheer Up, Mouse! (2013).
Frontmatter pages show a yawning, sleepy mouse ready for slumber but unable to settle down for the night. Luckily, a veritable stampede of woodland pals comes to his aid, first trying “to wear him out” and then attempting a bath, a cuddle, shelter from the moonlight, a midnight snack, and finally, a lullaby orchestrated by a bat, tree frogs and crickets. The happily-ever-after ending sees Mouse sound asleep and cuddled up in a leafy bed with only the titular words, “Good night, Mouse” in an italicized whisper above him. This closing page is fittingly the sparest illustration, as well, with prior spreads dominated by the busy, well-intentioned efforts of Mouse’s friends as they help him get to sleep. Why Mouse’s friends are not as sleepy as he is and are not in need of help to get to sleep themselves remains a mystery in the text—are they all adults and Mouse a child? In any case, Henry’s multimedia pictures evoke the soft style of Christopher Denise’s illustrations in Phyllis Root’s Oliver Finds His Way (2008), though with less overt anthropomorphic characterization.
A sweet addition to the bedtime-book shelf. (Picture book. 2-4)Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-547-98156-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2013
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by Lisl H. Detlefsen ; illustrated by Jed Henry
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by Derek Taylor Kent ; illustrated by Jed Henry ; translated by Gabriela Revilla Lugi
by Audrey Penn ; illustrated by Barbara L. Gibson ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2014
Parents of toddlers starting school or day care should seek separation-anxiety remedies elsewhere, and fans of the original...
A sweetened, condensed version of the best-selling picture book, The Kissing Hand.
As in the original, Chester Raccoon is nervous about attending Owl’s night school (raccoons are nocturnal). His mom kisses him on the paw and reminds him, “With a Kissing Hand… / We’ll never be apart.” The text boils the story down to its key elements, causing this version to feel rushed. Gone is the list of fun things Chester will get to do at school. Fans of the original may be disappointed that this board edition uses a different illustrator. Gibson’s work is equally sentimental, but her renderings are stiff and flat in comparison to the watercolors of Harper and Leak. Very young readers will probably not understand that Owl’s tree, filled with opossums, a squirrel, a chipmunk and others, is supposed to be a school.
Parents of toddlers starting school or day care should seek separation-anxiety remedies elsewhere, and fans of the original shouldn’t look to this version as replacement for their page-worn copies. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: April 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-933718-77-4
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Tanglewood Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
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by Audrey Penn ; illustrated by Barbara L. Gibson
by Audrey Penn & illustrated by Barbara L. Gibson
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by Audrey Penn ; illustrated by Mike Yamada
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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 Bernadette Rossetti-Shustak ; illustrated by Caroline Jayne Church
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