A cleverly illustrated and simply told story best for the youngest makers.
It’s so much fun to play with clay!
There is so much that can be done with just a little bit of clay. On each page of this board book, a piece of clay is transformed into something new. It begins as a “blob” and then becomes a “ball,” a “snake,” a “flowerpot,” and a “flower,” among other things. Included among these intricate designs are images that children could themselves easily create, such as a collection of small, colorful pieces of clay and a “smushed”-up mess of “pink and yellow.” Cleverly, the letters are themselves made from clay, making the words feel like pictures: The characters in the word “coiled,” for example, spiral and twirl, thereby both providing a context clue as to the word’s meeting and creating a layered, textured visual that feels like an illustration. The words and the clay creations burst with color, and many of the sculptures—such as the snake—have a sense of movement and silliness sure to delight young readers. The simple, direct text is in first person, giving the book a sense of intimacy, as though the artist is speaking directly to readers. The relative simplicity of the compositions, which float in white space, and the brevity of the text gear this to a toddler audience.
A cleverly illustrated and simply told story best for the youngest makers. (Board book. 1-2)Pub Date: March 3, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-09441-9
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: Oct. 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2019
While the premise is interesting, the execution is imperfect.
Various marine animals explore the ins and outs of motion.
Little ones are encouraged to examine the space around them with this board book. Each double-page spread features a different set of animals, varying from polar bears to jellyfish, moving through space. Each page features a tab that, when pulled, moves the animal through the scenery and reveals escalating relative modifiers, such as "Under, behind, over" or "Below, beside, above." As the tab is pulled, readers see one animal move through the three different described positions. The tabs are difficult to manage at times, and though they are sturdy enough, the surrounding card stock is all too easy to tear. Anxious readers may even be able to tug the tab out completely, thus ruining the illusion. The illustrations are colorful enough, but some of the logic of the text is lost in the interpretation: can a fish that swims “through” a frond of seaweed really be said to be moving from “inside” to “outside”? A complementary title, Small, Smaller, Smallest, exploring similar territory with woodland critters is also available.
While the premise is interesting, the execution is imperfect. (Board book. 1-2)Pub Date: Feb. 3, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4549-1562-1
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Sterling
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2015
A plainspoken and effective introduction to the spectrum of weather patterns, with color identification as a bonus.
Little readers learn the value of dressing properly for various weather conditions.
When it’s “HOT” outside, we wear bathing suits, sun hats, sandals, and sunscreen. When it’s “RAINY,” we wear raincoats, overalls, and rain boots. Our wardrobe’s reaction to the weather is important, and this board book is dedicated to making sure little ones are prepared. Each turn of the page features a weather scene on the left page and all the clothing and accessories one would wear in these conditions on the right. Each weather scene is given a prominent color scheme: “SUNNY” is green, “STORMY” is purple, and so forth. All the clothing is labeled in simple black text on a white background. The final pages of the book depict three children, two brown and one white, playing under a rainbow in appropriate clothing. Jones’ illustrations are charming yet understated, plainly presenting the articles of clothing but rendering her weather scenes with artistic flourish—the smiling animals in each will charm readers on second and third visits, especially the reflection of the gray cat looking out the window at the stormy night.
A plainspoken and effective introduction to the spectrum of weather patterns, with color identification as a bonus. (Board book. 1-2)Pub Date: April 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-936669-43-1
Page Count: 14
Publisher: blue manatee press
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
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