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HAMSTERS ON THE GO

Name: HAMSTERS ON THE GO
Author: Kass Reich
ISBN: 978-1-4598-1016-7

by Kass Reich ; illustrated by Kass Reich ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 8, 2016

A very cute but not so simple offering for tots.

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Reich’s hamsters return (Up Hamster, Down Hamster, 2015, etc.).

The hamsters are back, but they’re not sitting still—they’re traveling to and fro in a wide variety of vehicles. The little critters use a train, a golf cart, even a moon rover to get around. The lovable hamsters are always smiling and having a good time, providing a basic but pleasurable board book for little readers. The coloring has a subdued palette that works well with the calm and straightforward text. “Hamsters in a golf cart / Hamsters in a sleigh // Hamsters drifting lazily / In a hamster way.” The book doesn’t boast a particularly involving or eye-catching style, but little readers with a penchant for small, furry mammals will surely be satisfied. The highlight for adult readers is the absurd vehicles these hamsters operate, including inner tubes, hot air balloons, and a pudgy yellow submarine. The relative busyness of the double-page spreads, which often relate to each other in no way at all (three hamsters in leotards balance on a unicycle on verso, while three different hamsters soar in a paper plane on recto, for instance), will challenge young readers developing a sense of narrative flow.

A very cute but not so simple offering for tots. (Board book. 2-3)

Pub Date: March 8, 2016

ISBN: 978-1-4598-1016-7

Page Count: 24

Publisher: Orca

Review Posted Online: June 21, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S TRANSPORTATION

- BOOK REVIEW
BARNABY
by Andrea Curtis ; illustrated by Kass Reich

- BOOK REVIEW
MEGABAT AND THE NOT-HAPPY BIRTHDAY
by Anna Humphrey ; illustrated by Kass Reich

- BOOK REVIEW
WHAT GREW IN LARRY'S GARDEN
by Laura Alary ; illustrated by Kass Reich

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WHERE IS MILO'S BALL?

by Mike Austin & illustrated by Mike Austin ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 25, 2012

Just as visually appealing as the app at first glance, and possibly even more durable—but showing considerable fall-off in...

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The blue cat that starred in the excellent app A Present for Milo (2010) makes an awful crossover from the digital domain.

Printed on extra-sturdy boards with folded (rather than glued) flaps, the episode sends Milo in search of his missing ball of string. Led by a helpful mouse, he discovers piles of yarn in various geometric shapes that, once each flap is lifted, reveal common items of the same shape. These range from a square slice of cheese to a triangular piece of pizza to a rectangular granola bar. Meanwhile, behind Milo, two other mice roll up the continual line of multicolored yarn that loops through each cartoon scene so that by the end the ball is restored. Not only is the prose numbingly wooden (“Little mouse,” says Milo, “will you help me find my ball of string?”), it is confusingly phrased. Milo rejects the square because it has “four sides,” which doesn’t distinguish it from the rectangle, and the oval egg isn’t like a ball because it’s “sort of round-ish but also long-ish.” Moreover, the concluding general romp comes off less as a resolution to the plotline than filler for the final spread. In marked contrast to his app incarnation, Milo is no more than a static presence in the art, his body shape even duplicated in some scenes rather than redrawn.

Just as visually appealing as the app at first glance, and possibly even more durable—but showing considerable fall-off in narrative quality and awareness of audience. (Board book. 2-3)

Pub Date: June 25, 2012

ISBN: 978-1-60905-209-6

Page Count: 16

Publisher: Blue Apple

Review Posted Online: April 17, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2012

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS

- BOOK REVIEW
SUMMER SUPPER
by Rubin Pfeffer ; illustrated by Mike Austin

- BOOK REVIEW
HENNY, PENNY, LENNY, DENNY, AND MIKE
by Cynthia Rylant ; illustrated by Mike Austin

- BOOK REVIEW
RESCUE SQUAD NO. 9
by Mike Austin ; illustrated by Mike Austin

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KNIGHTS' CASTLE

From the Bizzy Bear series

by Nosy Crow ; illustrated by Benji Davies ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 10, 2015

The appealing topic combined with easy-to-operate pull tabs and sliders will make this a toddler favorite.

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Bizzy Bear learns what it’s like to be a knight as he visits a castle to try his paw at jousting.

This chunky board title features cute Bizzy Bear, and short, simple rhymes tell the story of his day at a castle. Bizzy begins by donning some armor: “Bizzy Bear, Bizzy Bear, here to be a knight. / Bizzy Bear, Bizzy Bear, fits just right!” Readers can help Bizzy by sliding the helmet’s visor up and down with an easy-to-grip tab. Additional tabs on subsequent pages allow little hands to help Bizzy as he brandishes a sword and wins a jousting contest. On the final double-page spread, he is pictured with a trophy, surrounded by friends and enjoying a spectacular feast. The illustrations are vivid and engaging, the storyline appropriately simple, and the interactive features both well-designed and well-constructed. In companion volume Zookeeper, the sliders and tabs enable youngsters to interact with various zoo animals. For example, an easy up-and-down motion makes a crocodile chomp, and the spin of a wheel makes some hungry penguins swim after their fish dinner. The busyness of the illustrations gear both books to toddlers.

The appealing topic combined with easy-to-operate pull tabs and sliders will make this a toddler favorite. (Board book. 2-3)