Spot the Dog had better make room on the shelf for Can-do Corgi.
A celebration of puppy love and everything little ones can do.
Starring a cute, personality-filled Welsh corgi unostentatiously named Corgi, this rhyming board book is an ode to the developmental milestones that youngsters can take pride in as they learn how to move, speak, play, and behave. Each page highlights something that Corgi can do: sit, walk, dig, and run, to name a few. What’s more, Corgi does it all in style, sporting a bandanna, little cap, and even a raincoat. Each “Corgi can” statement sets caregivers and tykes up for the natural follow-up question, “Can you?” Like the text, the illustrations are patterned; all of the items Corgi wears or uses are blue, green, and yellow. The language is very simple and straightforward, and the cadenced repetition keeps the pages turning and makes the pace spot-on for the toddler crowd. However, it is Wu’s colored pencil illustrations, evoking the soft fuzziness of a dog’s coat, that really make this book appealing. Corgi’s face displays a range of emotions, from anticipation to a playful pout, and expressive ears and a subtle blush on the cheeks successfully vivify the frisky pup. Dog lovers will find this book irresistible, and readers will appreciate the lovely illustrations and age-appropriate simplicity.
Spot the Dog had better make room on the shelf for Can-do Corgi. (Board book. 0-2)Pub Date: Nov. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-338-65485-1
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 2, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come.
Little Blue Truck and his pal Toad meet friends old and new on a springtime drive through the country.
This lift-the-flap, interactive entry in the popular Little Blue Truck series lacks the narrative strength and valuable life lessons of the original Little Blue Truck (2008) and its sequel, Little Blue Truck Leads the Way (2009). Both of those books, published for preschoolers rather than toddlers, featured rich storylines, dramatic, kinetic illustrations, and simple but valuable life lessons—the folly of taking oneself too seriously, the importance of friends, and the virtue of taking turns, for example. At about half the length and with half as much text as the aforementioned titles, this volume is a much quicker read. Less a story than a vernal celebration, the book depicts a bucolic drive through farmland and encounters with various animals and their young along the way. Beautifully rendered two-page tableaux teem with butterflies, blossoms, and vibrant pastel, springtime colors. Little Blue greets a sheep standing in the door of a barn: “Yoo-hoo, Sheep! / Beep-beep! / What’s new?” Folding back the durable, card-stock flap reveals the barn’s interior and an adorable set of twin lambs. Encounters with a duck and nine ducklings, a cow with a calf, a pig with 10 (!) piglets, a family of bunnies, and a chicken with a freshly hatched chick provide ample opportunity for counting and vocabulary work.
Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come. (Board book. 1-4)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-544-93809-0
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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