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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An excellent, rounded effort from a creator who knows how to deliver.
The farmyard's chickens experience Halloween.
A round, full moon shines in the sky, and the chickens of Boynton's barnyard are feeling “nervous.” Pumpkins shine “with flickering eyes,” witches and wizards wander the pastures, and one chicken has seen “a mouse of enormous size.” It’s Halloween night, and readers will delight as the chickens huddle together and try to figure out what's going on. All ends well, of course, and in Boynton's trademark silly style. (It’s really quite remarkable how her ranks of white, yellow-beaked chickens evoke rows of candy corn.) At this point parents and children know what they're in for when they pick up a book by the prolific author, and she doesn't disappoint here. The chickens are silly, the pigs are cute, and the coloring and illustrations evoke a warmth that little ones wary of Halloween will appreciate. For children leery of the ghouls and goblins lurking in the holiday's iconography, this is a perfect antidote, emphasizing all the fun Halloween has to offer.
An excellent, rounded effort from a creator who knows how to deliver. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Aug. 23, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-7611-9300-5
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Workman
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
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