Toys come alive in a child’s disheveled room, each with its own instrument and unique sound, and chime together for a bedtime song. The gnome’s drum goes boom boom, while the elf’s ancient gong goes ding ding; the little knight’s battle bells go bong bong. As other toys join in, piling more sounds into the refrain, readers may grow weary and confused by a beat that never fully reveals itself. Often the sounds themselves fail to resonate—would an ancient gong emit a teeny ding ding? In each verse mama or papa suggests, “You had better go to bed,” and the prancing doll barks, “ ‘Hush! Don’t spoil the rhythm of my drum [gong, bells, etc.]’ / boom boom / ‘Go away!’ ” Few children will feel lulled by such bratty behavior nor by the cacophony of sounds. Ibatoulline’s flat artwork falls short of capturing the magic of an animated toy; bland miniatures appear frozen amid piles of clutter and dull backdrops of washed, graduated color. As more toys, sounds and text jumble each page, readers may be tempted to simply shut the book and enjoy the sounds of silence. (Picture book. 2-5)
Pub Date: Feb. 9, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-689-85093-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: Jan. 21, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Genial starter nonfiction.
Panels activated by sliding tabs introduce youngsters to the human body.
The information is presented in matter-of-fact narration and captioned, graphically simple art featuring rounded lines, oversized heads and eyes, and muted colors. The sliding panels reveal new scenes on both sides of the page, and arrows on the large tabs indicate the direction to pull them (some tabs work left and right and others up and down). Some of the tabs show only slight changes (a white child reaches for a teddy bear, demonstrating how arms and hands work), while others are much more surprising (a different white child runs to a door and on the other side of the panel is shown sitting on the toilet). The double-page spreads employ broad themes as organizers, such as “Your Body,” “Eating Right,” and “Taking Care of Your Body.” Much of the content is focused on the outside of the body, but one panel does slide to reveal an X-ray image of a skeleton. While there are a few dark brown and amber skin tones, it is mostly white children who appear in the pages to demonstrate body movements, self-care, visiting the doctor, senses, and feelings. The companion volume, Baby Animals, employs the same style of sliding panels to introduce youngsters to little critters and their parents, from baboons to penguins.
Genial starter nonfiction. (Board book. 2-5)Pub Date: March 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-2-40800-850-5
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Twirl/Chronicle
Review Posted Online: Jan. 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Preschoolers enamored with construction equipment will enjoy this cheerful tale, which is simple enough for little ones just...
Four animals with heavy construction equipment arrive to build a treehouse as a surprise for a Dalmatian puppy.
The puppy awakens to loud, unexpected sounds and a foreshadowing glimpse of a big, metal scoop outside the bedroom window. The puppy joyously discovers an adult Dalmatian driving an excavator, called a “digger” in this British author/illustrator’s text. Just a couple of brief sentences describe the action of the digger, punctuated with creative sound effects incorporated into the illustrations in collage-effect letters. Another set of loud sounds precedes the arrival of a camel in a crane, followed by a duck in a dump truck, and a bear in a bulldozer. Each new piece of equipment has its own set of exuberant sounds that relate loosely to the machine’s function, such as “DUMP, SPLAT, CRASH” for the dump truck. The patterned text uses the machines’ sounds as a predictive device, with a dramatic page turn to reveal the next animal and corresponding construction equipment. Bold, movement-filled illustrations create a buoyant atmosphere, with jaunty animal characters and bright flowers and trees surrounding the construction site. There’s a bit of a logic gap between the heavy equipment and the concluding treehouse, as there are no carpenters shown building the actual house. Another small drawback is the gender bias in the four animal equipment drivers, as only one is identified as female; the puppy’s gender is not specified.
Preschoolers enamored with construction equipment will enjoy this cheerful tale, which is simple enough for little ones just transitioning into real stories. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-62370-802-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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