A “hippity hoppity” tale and a lovely way to get little readers excited for Easter.
In this board book based on the song “Here Comes Peter Cottontail,” an accident-prone rabbit delivers Easter treats.
The titular bunny trots along with a red wagon full of surprises but doesn’t quite make a clean delivery: He cracks the eggs, spills the jelly beans, and eats the chocolate bunnies. But he hides what’s left of the treats and heads back down the bunny trail. Sattler’s illustrations contrast with the more straightforward text (on a page with the words “Hippity, hoppity / Easter’s on its way,” we see Peter sprawled on his face, having taken a tumble), letting readers in on the joke that the bunny isn’t doing what’s expected. The final page provides questions that encourage a reread: “How many eggs can you find on each page?” for example. This addition challenges toddler readers with a seek-and-find–style revisit. With his blue overalls, floppy ears, and wide, expressive eyes, Peter cuts an endearing figure. The illustrations use spring pastels like baby blue, pale green, and pinks and purples. An adorable little snail with knowing eyes opens and closes the book. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A “hippity hoppity” tale and a lovely way to get little readers excited for Easter. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5341-1168-4
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Review Posted Online: Nov. 28, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2022
A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character.
One of Boynton's signature characters celebrates Halloween.
It's Halloween time, and Pookie the pig is delighted. Mom helps the little porker pick out the perfect Halloween costume, a process that spans the entire board book. Using an abcb rhyme scheme, Boynton dresses Pookie in a series of cheerful costumes, including a dragon, a bunny, and even a caped superhero. Pookie eventually settles on the holiday classic, a ghost, by way of a bedsheet. Boynton sprinkles in amusing asides to her stanzas as Pookie offers costume commentary ("It's itchy"; "It's hot"; "I feel silly"). Little readers will enjoy the notion of transforming themselves with their own Halloween costumes while reading this book, and a few parents may get some ideas as well. Boynton's clean, sharp illustrations are as good as ever. This is Pookie's first holiday title, but readers will surely welcome more.
A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: July 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-553-51233-5
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Robin Corey/Random
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
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Cute and sprightly but not a standout.
Deck the stalls?
A bevy of barnyard animals, a cat, and some dogs get fully into the Christmas spirit by sprucing up the farm with colorful decorations, including holly berries and sparkling baubles. They have a great time and sing while going about their merry chores in a manner somewhat in keeping with the rhythm of the classic tune “Deck the Halls.” (In fact, a flock of sheep are shown holding song sheets for it.) As might be expected with these particular celebrants, some of the familiar lyrics are altered just a bit; for instance, “boughs of holly” is “translated” as “cows and holly.” Adult readers expecting the rhythm here to work exactly as it does in the original will be disappointed, because it doesn’t—it’s clunky. This is merely a brief, lightweight spoof of the familiar ditty, so it’s recommended that grown-ups read rather than sing this—except for that final line!—to very young targeted audiences, who may be unfamiliar with the actual song anyway. Some fun is still to be had in the illustrations, however. The spirited, wittily expressive animal characters are depicted having a fine time romping about and producing a variety of onomatopoeic sounds throughout. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Cute and sprightly but not a standout. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-66591-435-2
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Boynton Bookworks
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2022
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