Fans of Libby and Pearl will enjoy these best friends in book form, however fleeting their notoriety may be.
A sweet and cheery celebration of the Pink Frilly Dress phenomenon starring a delightfully photogenic toddler and a pink piglet.
Photographer Bonnice, an adoption advocate, chronicled life with her sunny black baby Libby on Instagram in 2015. The family added a pet pig named Pearl to the household, who became inseparable from Libby. Their images went viral and received national media attention, including the deal that resulted in this book. Libby’s beautiful brown skin is a stunning contrast to Pearl’s light pink coloring. Even as gender issues are making headlines, this photography picture book embraces all things girly, with ribbons and lace overflowing from the pages. Furry carpeting, the mesh of tutus, bath bubbles, down comforters, and even spilled cereal create a visually tactile wonderland. The images have been chosen and staged with an eye for background, color schemes, and perspective. The book simulates a design style found in many DIY photo-album products, with scalloped edges and geometric shapes in the background. With one photo on each page, there is order and consistency in Libby’s world. The text is similarly concise and geared toward adults “We’re not always on the same page, / but we’re part of each other’s story.”
Fans of Libby and Pearl will enjoy these best friends in book form, however fleeting their notoriety may be. (Picture book. 1-5)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-245927-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
A joyful celebration.
Families in a variety of configurations play, dance, and celebrate together.
The rhymed verse, based on a song from the Noodle Loaf children’s podcast, declares that “Families belong / Together like a puzzle / Different-sized people / One big snuggle.” The accompanying image shows an interracial couple of caregivers (one with brown skin and one pale) cuddling with a pajama-clad toddler with light brown skin and surrounded by two cats and a dog. Subsequent pages show a wide array of families with members of many different racial presentations engaging in bike and bus rides, indoor dance parties, and more. In some, readers see only one caregiver: a father or a grandparent, perhaps. One same-sex couple with two children in tow are expecting another child. Smart’s illustrations are playful and expressive, curating the most joyful moments of family life. The verse, punctuated by the word together, frequently set in oversized font, is gently inclusive at its best but may trip up readers with its irregular rhythms. The song that inspired the book can be found on the Noodle Loaf website.
A joyful celebration. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-22276-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Rise x Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: Nov. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2020
Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come.
Little Blue Truck and his pal Toad meet friends old and new on a springtime drive through the country.
This lift-the-flap, interactive entry in the popular Little Blue Truck series lacks the narrative strength and valuable life lessons of the original Little Blue Truck (2008) and its sequel, Little Blue Truck Leads the Way (2009). Both of those books, published for preschoolers rather than toddlers, featured rich storylines, dramatic, kinetic illustrations, and simple but valuable life lessons—the folly of taking oneself too seriously, the importance of friends, and the virtue of taking turns, for example. At about half the length and with half as much text as the aforementioned titles, this volume is a much quicker read. Less a story than a vernal celebration, the book depicts a bucolic drive through farmland and encounters with various animals and their young along the way. Beautifully rendered two-page tableaux teem with butterflies, blossoms, and vibrant pastel, springtime colors. Little Blue greets a sheep standing in the door of a barn: “Yoo-hoo, Sheep! / Beep-beep! / What’s new?” Folding back the durable, card-stock flap reveals the barn’s interior and an adorable set of twin lambs. Encounters with a duck and nine ducklings, a cow with a calf, a pig with 10 (!) piglets, a family of bunnies, and a chicken with a freshly hatched chick provide ample opportunity for counting and vocabulary work.
Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come. (Board book. 1-4)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-544-93809-0
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
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