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AUTUMN BABIES

Name: AUTUMN BABIES
Author: Kathryn O. Galbraith
ISBN: 978-1-68263-066-2

From the Babies in the Park series

by Kathryn O. Galbraith ; illustrated by Adela Pons ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2018

Sweet and attractive but not much more.

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A group of toddlers and their pup enjoy the change of seasons playing in a park.

Colorful stylized illustrations depict a park with lollipop-shaped trees, shades of red, yellow, and orange setting the scene: “It’s autumn in the park.” The text that runs along the bottoms of the pages on a beige-colored strip describes the illustrations: “Leaves swirl. / Acorns fall. // Squirrels dig” (though this particular squirrel is just holding an acorn). Then readers see a group of toddlers—one black, one brown, one olive-skinned, and one white—playing. They “toss,” “stomp,” “roll,” “romp,” and play with a puppy. The verbs imply action; the illustrations, though, are somewhat static. The book concludes with “It’s autumn!” as a child peeks out from a pile of leaves. Following the same format, the companion book, Winter Babies, is set in the same park, and the same children are now playing in the wintry scene. Their tongues catch snowflakes as they drift down, their boots sink in the snow, and they ride down a slope on a sled. As a child peeks out from a snowdrift the book declares, “It’s winter!”

Sweet and attractive but not much more. (Board book. 1-3)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-68263-066-2

Page Count: 20

Publisher: Peachtree

Review Posted Online: July 23, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2019

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

- BOOK REVIEW
ENCOGER EL MONSTRUO DE LOS MIEDOS
by Sally Baird & Kathryn O. Galbraith ; illustrated by Annabelle Barrett ; translated by Chelsey DiPasquale-Hunton ; Art Director Jill Flores

- BOOK REVIEW
SPRING BABIES
by Kathryn O. Galbraith ; illustrated by Adela Pons

- BOOK REVIEW
TWO BUNNY BUDDIES
by Kathryn O. Galbraith ; illustrated by Joe Cepeda

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EMMA

From the Simply Small series

by Paola Opal ; illustrated by Paola Opal ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2014

This sweet and simple offering is ideal for sharing one-on-one or for featuring with a small audience in a program...

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This volume in the Simply Small board-book series introduces Emma, a little hedgehog with a heart of gold.

Emma and her three sisters exhaust themselves trudging along after Daddy up a steep hill. Inspired by the sweet scent in the air, Emma picks flowers and hands one to each of her three wilting sisters. They each give her a kiss in return, as does her proud father, and that makes: “Three flowers, / four kisses, and / five hedgehogs / —happy at home.” This final spread shows the five critters resting all cuddled together in a contented clump, with Emma’s sisters still holding onto their precious flowers. The simple, uncluttered illustrations complement the sparse but apt text. The only things pictured are the hedgehogs, the hill and the flowers, all of which are drawn with very thick, bold outlines. The sky is rendered a soft pink, the hill a light green and the hedgehogs shades of tan, with the blue, white and yellow flowers adding a bit of variety to the palette.

This sweet and simple offering is ideal for sharing one-on-one or for featuring with a small audience in a program celebrating family or, even better, small acts of kindness and love. (Board book. 1-3)

Pub Date: April 1, 2014

ISBN: 978-1-897476-93-2

Page Count: 24

Publisher: Simply Read

Review Posted Online: April 15, 2014

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS

- BOOK REVIEW
TECKA
by Paola Opal ; illustrated by Paola Opal

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LITTLE BUBBA LOOKS FOR HIS ELEPHANT

From the Tiny Tab series

by Jannie Ho ; illustrated by Jannie Ho ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 5, 2014

Sturdy, engaging fun.

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This Tiny Tab book offers toddlers a playful interactive game of hide-and-seek with substantial, oversized tabs.

Elly, Little Bubba’s toy elephant, has gone missing at her boy’s multispecies preschool, and the little frog must search the classroom to find her. Four large, semicircular tabs poke out from the side and top of the book, partially hiding the faces of his fellow animal classmates. Once pulled, the tabs reveal the entire creature and another friend or toy that is hiding in a die-cut section at the center of the page. Mrs. Jones, Bubba’s hippo teacher, suggests the frog check his bag, and Elly and Bubba are joyfully reunited. Ho’s cheery, digitally created cartoons will engage youngsters and offer a tour of preschool to the uninitiated to boot. Publishing simultaneously is Wickle Woo Has a Halloween Party, in which an owl host must find the fancy-dressed guests attending his Halloween bash. It’s full of equally satisfying interaction, although some of the costumed critters may be difficult for the youngest toddlers to recognize.

Sturdy, engaging fun. (Board book. 1-3)