A well-paced romp with nifty response opportunities for little ones.
Four young friends describe their favorite things to do throughout the day, and sometimes those descriptions take a very silly turn.
In direct first-person narration, a little bear tells readers how he likes to sleep. “I like to sleep in my bed. / I like to sleep in my dad’s big chair. // I like to sleep on my mama’s lap. / And I like to sleep on cookies.” What?! On cookies? This absurdity gives child listeners the chance to gleefully shout, “No, silly! You eat cookies,” as the page is turned to reveal the correct thing to do with cookies. Youngsters will delight in spotting right (“I like to eat apples”) from wrong (“I like to eat books”) in each situation, the turn of the page always giving them ample time to point out a correction. Krug’s oil-paint illustrations are cheery and bright, which add to the whimsy, and interchanging framed pages with double-page spreads gives extra visual cues to help readers spot the silly parts. Facial expressions, alas, are sometimes a bit off. Readers will notice that one correction leads to the next activity, so the cookies lead to eating other foodstuffs, and the aforementioned “books” lead to reading, and so on. The sleepy, nighttime conclusion both brings the slight narrative full circle and makes this a surprising bedtime possibility.
A well-paced romp with nifty response opportunities for little ones. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Feb. 3, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4814-0066-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2014
Don’ts and Do’s in a familiar formula go down easily for fans and will provide a good conversation starter for parents.
Officer Buckle had Gloria, his police canine, to help his audience see the value of his safety lessons; Yolen and Teague have their dinos.
Addressing such perennial topics as jumping on the bed, climbing too high and stair safety, Yolen and Teague first present the dinos doing the wrong things, their faces plainly showing that they are surprised and scared by the world of hurt about to come their ways while caring (and dwarfed) loved ones freak out in the backgrounds. “Does he climb up too high? // Or jump on his bed? // Does he race on his bike with no helmet on head?” (Scansion is a bit of an issue.) Of course not! And though the text says that it will tell readers why, it doesn’t, instead just explaining what the dinos do to stay safe. Among other things, Cearadactylus holds Mama’s hand and crosses with the light, Majungasaurus swims where his papa can see him, Agustinia wears his bike helmet, and Concavenator brings water to drink on long hikes. As in previous outings, Teague’s artwork steals the show, the realism of the scenes and human figures juxtaposed with the giant, though childish, dinos. Labels in the illustrations and endpapers will help dino mavens identify their favorites.
Don’ts and Do’s in a familiar formula go down easily for fans and will provide a good conversation starter for parents. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-439-24104-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Blue Sky/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2014
Leave this on the shelf and take the kids outside to really move.
An interactive board book promises a variety of experiences.
A book that gets kids up and moving sounds like a great idea. The half-circle cutout of the spine and large handle formed by another die cut on the right side are intriguing. Unfortunately, the rhyming instructions for using the book as an exercise prop are confusing. Even adults will find themselves puzzled when told to “paddle the floor,” or to “hang on the handles. Step over the book. / You're a turtle in its shell! Go peek out and look.” The busy pictures shift perspective according to each scenario presented but give few visual clues. For example, the only hint of a dinosaur on the page where readers are told to “put this book to your mouth and let out a roar” like a dinosaur are the teeth that line the edges of what is meant to be a gaping maw. It’s not always obvious whether the book is meant to be facing readers or turned away from them, adding another layer of confusion. Furthermore, many of the instructions run counter to how young children are typically taught to treat books, as when they are told to step on it and then waddle or to lift it with their feet. The relatively thin board pages and weak handles will soon be torn by normal handling; following the directions in the text will only hasten the destruction.
Leave this on the shelf and take the kids outside to really move. (Board book. 3-5)Pub Date: May 3, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-7611-8733-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Workman
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
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