Kuskin’s short, catchy poem (first published in 1964) about bundling up for winter weather serves as the text in this simple, sweet story about a little girl and her dog playing in the snow. After building a snowman, shown on the title page, the pair enters the house for a break, and the rhymed text describes the little girl’s layers of warm clothes as she takes them off. A wordless double-page spread shows the girl and the dog enjoying a snack before the poem resumes with more clothing descriptions as the girl gets dressed again to go back out in the snow to take her dog for a walk. Attractive speckled endpapers in snowy white and pale blue show the pair’s footprints, with the final endpaper showing the snow angel the little girl leaves behind. The text is short and simple enough to use with toddlers who are just beginning to listen to real stories, but the rhyme, rhythm, and attractive illustrations on lime-green backgrounds will also appeal to older preschoolers and even beginning readers. (Picture book. 2-6)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-06-057242-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2004
A cozy, Rosie read. (Picture book. 2-6)
Two black children, who could be seen as fraternal twins, lavish love on their dachshund, Rosie.
Rylant’s text is written in the first person plural and uses an episodic structure that also highlights opposites. Sister and brother (unnamed in the text) affirm their love for Rosie whatever the circumstance, in brief episodes: “Day and Night…Good and Bad…In and Out…Lost and Found…Up and Down…Here and There.” The playfully repetitive phrasing reads rather like the controlled text of an early reader, and clear, bold type could support new readers attempting to decode it independently. Davick’s accompanying digital illustrations feature brightly colored, flat, graphically simple forms set against the clean whiteness of the pages. No other characters are present, which provides a pleasing focus on the loving dynamic between the children and their dog, as they read, play, and snuggle the days away.
A cozy, Rosie read. (Picture book. 2-6)Pub Date: Feb. 28, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4424-6511-4
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Nov. 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2016
The history of music is a big topic, and more-nuanced explanation is needed than the format allows.
This ambitious board book aims to promote an eclectic appreciation for music of all kinds.
Music, from drumming to computer-generated sound, is introduced as a linear historical sequence with two pages devoted to each of 11 styles, including medieval European, orchestral, blues, and more. Most of the musicians are portrayed as children, many with darker skin tones and with hairstyles and garb commonly associated with each type of music. Radford works in a retro cartoon mode, varying his presentation slightly with each new musical style but including a dancing dachshund on almost every spread, presumably to enhance child appeal. Unfortunately, the book just can’t succeed in reducing such a wide range of musical styles to toddler-appropriate language. The first two spreads read: “We start with clapping, tapping, and drums. // Lutes, flutes, and words are what we become.” The accompanying illustrations show, respectively, half-naked drummers and European court figures reading, writing, and playing a flute. Both spreads feature both brown-skinned and pale-skinned figures. At first reading this seems innocent enough, but the implication that clapping and drumming are somehow less civilized or sophisticated than a European style is reinforced in Stosuy’s glossary of music terms. He describes “Prehistoric Music” as “rhythmic music [made] with rocks, sticks, bones, and…voices,” while “Renaissance Music” is defined as “multiple melodies played at the same time.”
The history of music is a big topic, and more-nuanced explanation is needed than the format allows. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Aug. 21, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5344-0941-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2019
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