illustrated by Katie Wilson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 2, 2018
While underwhelming in its exploration of textures, it does succeed as a playful introduction to animals of the African...
Youngsters can go on safari in this tactile venture.
A friendly, brown-skinned “guide” waves to readers on the opening double-page spread and offers an invitation to explore the savanna. Nine tableaux follow with a textural element embedded in or affixed to every other recto. There is an encounter with a “fuzzy” zebra with soft black stripes, a “bumpy” crocodile with embossed, green vinyl for skin, and a “furry” lion mane created with flannel. One to two sentences of introductory text, written in a cordial tone, hovers above the scene, and each animal is identified with a large caption in an appealing type that has a handwritten feel. Wilson’s art is endearing, and critters look quite cuddly in her childlike style and soft, watercolor palette of pale green, yellow, blue, and brown. The adventure ends with the guide hunkering down for the night in a tent made with a canvas fabric swatch. Given that the title and the cover (with jeep tires to touch) promise a texture-rich experience, the project is a bit of a letdown as the tactile elements appear only on every alternating page.
While underwhelming in its exploration of textures, it does succeed as a playful introduction to animals of the African savanna. (Board book. 6 mos.-2)Pub Date: Oct. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4867-1459-9
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Flowerpot Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 29, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2019
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by Nicola Edwards ; illustrated by Thomas Elliott ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 23, 2021
A fun, utilitarian vocabulary builder that begs to be picked up and touched.
In the tradition of Pat the Bunny, this effort offers plenty of opportunity for tactile exploration.
Though it lacks the inventiveness, charm, and nontactile sensory provocations that make Pat the Bunny an enduring classic, this gives little hands plenty to grab, feel, touch, and experience. There are no “Paul and Judy” on hand to emulate, but the die-cut, fuzzy handprint in the middle of the thick, cardboard cover makes the book’s intent and methodology clear to its audience. So does the admonition, “Let’s Get Hands-on!” accompanying a photo of a little White child with fingers and palms covered in different colors of paint. The next page lists 10 different textures along with photographs of items that act as examples of each. Featured sensations are “fluffy, crinkly, smooth, bumpy, sticky, spongy, furry, rough, scratchy, [and] soft.” Each texture gets a two-page spread featuring several different items or creatures that feel that way and one large example with a die-cut hole and an embedded tactile element of the corresponding texture. The book features plenty of vocabulary, including three synonyms for each type of texture. There’s a descriptive sentence: “Fluffy things feel light and airy,” for example. Questions add an interactive element, inviting children to explore for themselves: “If you run your finger along something crinkly, what kind of noise does it make?”
A fun, utilitarian vocabulary builder that begs to be picked up and touched. (Board book. 1-4)Pub Date: March 23, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-68010-656-5
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
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by Julia Cook & Garrett Gunderson ; illustrated by Josh Cleland ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 2, 2024
An educational and uplifting foundation in financial mindsets and rules of thumb.
A walking, talking billfold of cash takes readers through the ins and outs of money.
Held together by a shiny gold clip and often accompanied by anthropomorphic coins, our narrator is a smiley, positive presence who eats pizza and rides a bike, just like us! Money explains its value as well as how to earn it (mowing lawns, selling lemonade), spend it, save it, and share it. The narrator uses clothing as a metaphor to explain different forms of money—sometimes the narrator dons “digital and crypto clothes,” though the author doesn’t elaborate on these. A similar reference to “credit card coats” is accompanied by a warning on overspending. Most commendable are reminders of readers' self-worth: Though readers are encouraged to invest in themselves, it’s made abundantly clear that money does not confer value to people. A message about earning interest is followed by a wordless page of coins and bills passing by a bank and a credit union—concepts that are a bit too advanced to describe in detail for this book’s audience. For now, tracking savings in a clear jar (not a piggy bank) is advanced enough. A guinea pig appears throughout the cheerful, textured art, making a suitably cute sidekick for the narrator.
An educational and uplifting foundation in financial mindsets and rules of thumb. (money tips) (Informational picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2024
ISBN: 9781728271262
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks eXplore
Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2023
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