This colorful and clever tale may miss the educational mark but nails the entertainment.
A yellow cat leads readers through a world of color in this lift-the-flap book that is nominally about the five senses.
First, cat and readers follow a blue rabbit through a black “magical door” flap covering a die cut that leads into a room decorated for a birthday party, complete with a rainbow of hats, a ceiling crowded with multicolored balloons, and a speaker spewing a dancing pattern of musical notes. In this spread, the rhyming text asks children to talk about what they listen to that makes them dance and points out the color pink. This textual pattern continues, as the yellow cat smells and tastes cakes and cookies that are yellow, sees party hats stacked on the head of an orange squirrel, and feels a “cool breeze” blow through a blue sky. The flaps are well designed and easy for small hands to manipulate. Stalker’s illustrations make clever use of patterns that are sure to appeal to young, curious eyes. While the text is musically written and the illustrations are beautifully textured, the book doesn’t quite meet its educational potential. The color noted on each page, for example, is not always the dominant hue and therefore may be difficult for children to identify. The five senses are woven into most pages but not every page and therefore feel tenuously connected. Overall, though, the story is charming and the pictures enjoyable regardless of the educational message’s execution.
This colorful and clever tale may miss the educational mark but nails the entertainment. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: April 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-338-35634-2
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
An upbeat early book on feelings with a simple storyline that little ones will respond to.
This simplified version of Diesen and Hanna’s The Pout-Pout Fish (2008) is appropriate for babies and toddlers.
Brief, rhyming text tells the story of a sullen fish cheered up with a kiss. A little pink sea creature pokes his head out of a hole in the sea bottom to give the gloomy fish some advice: “Smile, Mr. Fish! / You look so down // With your glum-glum face / And your pout-pout frown.” He explains that there’s no reason to be worried, scared, sad or mad and concludes: “How about a smooch? / And a cheer-up wish? // Now you look happy: / What a smile, Mr. Fish!” Simple and sweet, this tale offers the lesson that sometimes, all that’s needed for a turnaround in mood is some cheer and encouragement to change our perspective. The clean, uncluttered illustrations are kept simple, except for the pout-pout fish’s features, which are delightfully expressive. Little ones will easily recognize and likely try to copy the sad, scared and angry looks that cross the fish’s face.
An upbeat early book on feelings with a simple storyline that little ones will respond to. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-374-37084-8
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An invitation for readers to learn through observation.
Llama Llama and Mama spot different shapes at the farmers market.
Dewdney’s iconic llama stars in this board book, a part of the Learning With Llama Llama series. The story showcases five shapes: rectangles, squares, triangles, circles, and stars. Rather than simply showing the shapes and naming them, illustrator Morrow embeds them inside scenes from the farmers market. Each page turn uncovers a different shape. Signage and a shopping bag pop as rectangles, while umbrellas, a slice of watermelon, and the peaks of the tents form triangles. Shapes that appeared on previous pages are visible even as the story progresses, and the final page helps readers revisit and recall shapes they’ve already found. There are plenty of engaging details to keep readers looking, including other animal shoppers, kite-flying, and sudden, surprising rain. The text is concise, and each spread features a simple question inviting participation. This title is more captivating than other shape concept books, especially those that show block-colored shapes without context. Llama Llama’s popularity will make this a hit with fans, and readers looking for substance will find it. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
An invitation for readers to learn through observation. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-46509-7
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2022
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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