by Joyce Wan ; illustrated by Joyce Wan ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 7, 2020
The well-paced conventionality of this one makes it a pleasant bedtime read.
Each animal in this board book goes to bed with a lift of a flap.
Wan’s distinct, boldly outlined illustrations show each farm animal going to bed. The animals are tucked in with a simple rhyming couplet (“Off to sleep, / little sheep”), and the turn of the flap shows the animal, eyes closed and blanket pulled up, with their animal sound (“BAA”). The opening spread depicts all of the animals, eyes heavy, the moon and stars with sweet faces shining above them. In the pages that follow, there are darling details found in the background and on the animals’ blankets. There are buzzing dragonflies flying in heart patterns behind the frog, for example, and lily pads on its covers. After they’ve worked out some initial stiffness, little readers will enjoy pulling down the flap that transforms the animal’s face into its sleeping version tucked into bed. This say-goodnight-to-the animals concept has certainly been done before, and while Wan doesn’t usher in a new age of bedtime book, this does work as a well-paced, familiar outing, comforting to little ones and caregivers alike. It’s this familiarity that makes the book a suitable choice for winding down before bed, the ever hopeful line, “Ready to sleep / the whole night through,” echoing loudly in all caregivers’ ears.
The well-paced conventionality of this one makes it a pleasant bedtime read. (Board book. 1-2)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-338-33871-3
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2020
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by Sue Lowell Gallion ; illustrated by Joyce Wan
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by Clare Lloyd ; illustrated by Charlotte Jennings ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 8, 2019
Sounds like a winner, though the animal chorus is a bit thin.
Bunny hunts for carrots but finds noisy animal babies behind each flap instead.
“Bunny hops out of her burrow, / she’s looking for carrots to eat. / Can you help this fluffy friend / find a tasty treat?” The baaas, quacks, chirps, and horsey clip-clopping—activated by light as each of the first four big, shaped flaps lift—are gratifyingly loud and clear. All of the animal figures in the bright color pictures are intensely cute plush toys inserted into simple outdoorsy mixes of painted greenery and photographed flowers and bugs. Even the heaped carrots hiding behind the fifth and final flap are soft and fuzzy, though you’d never know that from the sound as Bunny hops on them (with a really loud boing) and chows down with crunches so comically amplified and rapid that caregivers too will laugh (at least the first dozen or so go-rounds). As no pressing of buttons is required to cue the sound effects, Bunny’s miniodyssey is suited to sharing at a slight remove with groups of toddlers as well as one-on-one. Batteries are replaceable, and there is (thankfully) an on-off switch on the rear cover.
Sounds like a winner, though the animal chorus is a bit thin. (Novelty board book. 18 mos.-2)Pub Date: Jan. 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4654-7853-5
Page Count: 12
Publisher: DK Publishing
Review Posted Online: Dec. 15, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2019
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adapted by Clare Lloyd ; illustrated by Giuseppe Di Lernia
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by Clare Lloyd ; illustrated by Kitty Glavin & Elle Ward
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by Clare Lloyd ; illustrated by Claire Patane
by Eric Carle ; illustrated by Eric Carle ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 6, 2017
A bright and friendly but no more than serviceable board book.
Little readers play peekaboo with animals.
Carle’s iconic illustrations form the centerpiece of this simple lift-the-flap board book. Each double-page spread features an animal obscured by a flap (a solid block of trademark, textured Carle color) on one side and a four-line abcb stanza describing the animal on the opposite page. Readers are given hints about the hidden creature before they play peekaboo and lift the flap to reveal a monkey, horse, turtle, and more. “I’m a big cat, / but I don’t purr. / I’ve got black stripes / and bright orange fur.” Although most of the facts offered are scientifically valid, the ambiguously worded modifier for the monkey’s clue—“With my long tail, / I swing in the trees”—risks imparting the misinformation that monkeys suspend themselves from their tails. Carle’s illustrations are as recognizable to little readers as the characters on Sesame Street or Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, and the familiarity breeds appreciation. There’s nothing truly special or distinctive regarding the mechanics of this particular title, but the familiar look acts as a comfort food–esque motivation to get little ones’ attention.
A bright and friendly but no more than serviceable board book. (Board book. 1-2)Pub Date: June 6, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5344-0105-1
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: June 18, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
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by Eric Carle ; illustrated by Eric Carle
by Eric Carle ; illustrated by Eric Carle
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edited by Eric Carle
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