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BLINK LIKE AN OWL!

The scant five tableaux contained in this lift-the-flap book seem like a great deal more, due to the wealth of line work and the density of Burns’s colors. Each setting provides a question and answer: “Who is hopping in the meadow?”—or swooping in the night or watching in the jungle—and then, “Rabbits. Can you twitch your ears and nose and hop like a rabbit?” Burns introduces a couple of animals that are not everyday creatures in the US—dormice and a bushbaby—and demonstrates how they blend into their environments. A sturdily constructed set of adventures. (Lift-the-flap. 1-3)

Pub Date: Dec. 1, 1998

ISBN: 1-899607-41-2

Page Count: 10

Publisher: Sterling

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 1998

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TICKLE TIME!

Sure to prompt little fingers into joyful action.

A favorite baby-and-toddler activity receives an upbeat celebration that will get those fingers going. Watch out!

The gang of frazzled felines that populate this outing are truly the cat's meow. Based on Boynton's song of the same title, the text is reproduced in a colored, patterned font that amps the energy right up. A forlorn little kitty, paws clasped in front of his body, appears anxious (though slightly intrigued) when a trio of toms encourages him to join in the fun. “Gitchy-gitchy / Goo Gotta / Ready, Set, Go!” It doesn't take long before the cautious cat jumps in on this chorus line with dramatic leaps and fluttering fingers. A little birdie acts as a square-dance caller, enunciating each beat (“Goo bop. / Gitchy-goo bop”). The shaggy, large-nosed felines are tremendously expressive in their synchronized movements and maintain a rollicking pace. “We can tickle high. / We can tickle low. / We can tickle QUICKQUICKQUICK / as fast as we can go!” (Here, the page is filled with iterations of "gitchy gitchy gitchy" in different colors.) At the end, the gang sprawls on the floor, exhausted, after a truly monumental tickle-fest.

Sure to prompt little fingers into joyful action. (Board book. 1-3)

Pub Date: March 16, 2012

ISBN: 978-0-7611-6883-6

Page Count: 22

Publisher: Workman

Review Posted Online: June 12, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2012

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WHERE I LIVE

A board book entry in the four-book It's My World series (the others are What I Wear, ISBN 0-688-14147-1; What I See, 14146-3; and What I Eat, 14145-5). Named and illustrated are items relevant to the title (although some preschoolers may need explanation as to what the sun, moon, and flower have to do with where one lives). The illustrations are lively and unsentimental, original in the simple sophistication of the images. The fence and the door neatly employ perspective, the chair and the table show an artisan's touch, the house and window have the detailing of a fine old doll house. The palette is electric: Goennel (The Circus, 1992) puts a blue window on a fire-engine red background and a green table on a bold gold page. While not groundbreaking, these brash board books are visually hypnotic. (Picture book. 1-3)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1995

ISBN: 0-688-14148-X

Page Count: 12

Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1995

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