For rabid Lalaloopsy fans only.
A mostly incomprehensible lift-the-flap tale featuring characters from the Lalaloopsy line of rag dolls.
A few of the dolls, such as Peanut Big Top and Mittens Fluff ’n’ Stuff, enjoy a hide-and-seek session with their “little sisters.” The dolls take turns hiding in various spots, including treehouses, a Ferris wheel and a school. Readers are implicitly invited to search for the dolls behind various easy-to-open flaps, which reveal the hidden characters and other objects. The art, which looks to be digital, recreates two-dimensional images of the dolls and places them in a world that resembles a Candy Land board. The dolls, with their oversized button eyes and signature cutesy outfits, may be easy for devotees to recognize, but readers unfamiliar with the franchise will be lost as to who is who. How and why the dolls play hide-and-seek on a Ferris wheel or in the middle of the road in front of a school bus is as mystifying as the rest of the book.
For rabid Lalaloopsy fans only. (Board book. 3-5)Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-545-44266-4
Page Count: 10
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Jan. 27, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2013
Perfect for every underdog who wants to have a say.
A dog-loving child encourages a less-than-enthusiastic younger one to imagine they’re both canines.
From the first declaration—“I’d be a big dog! And you’d be a little one!”—readers know who’s calling the shots. Initially, the protagonists cavort off the page and through the neighborhood together, performing doggy capers such as tail wagging, stick carrying, and dirt digging. But by the time they encounter a multitude of like-minded creatures at the dog park, the disgruntled small pup is exhibiting out-and-out rebellion: “Being a dog is YOUR idea! Sometimes I HAVE IDEAS TOO!” The narrative wraps up with the younger child pretending to be a different animal entirely—cleverly foreshadowed through subtle details in the illustrations. Even the endpapers—lively silhouettes of dogs in the beginning and many different animals in closing—extend the theme to suggest the imaginative possibilities of pretend play. Cheerful, lightly hued colors fit the whimsical mood, while expressive body language allows the art to tell the story with a minimum of words. Ending on a surprising note, with a sweet compromise between the two main characters, the tale gives both kids the freedom to embrace their own preferences and styles—while still enjoying their game.
Perfect for every underdog who wants to have a say. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 16, 2025
ISBN: 9780316581721
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2025
For patient listeners, a fun visit to a mixed-up barnyard.
When a fierce wind descends on the barnyard, the animals hear some odd noises…and they’re coming from their own mouths.
The sudden wind unsettles all the animals on the farm just when they should be getting ready for sleep. Instead, they anxiously “cheep” and “cluck” and “oink” and “quack” and “moooo.” They shift nervously, pull together, and make all sorts of noises. All except Turtle, who tucks into his shell under an old log and sleeps. In the morning, though, the animals get a surprise. Pig says, “Cluck”; the Little Chicks say, “Neigh”; Horse crows, “Cock-a-doodle-doo.” How will they get their proper sounds back? Turtle has an idea, and he enjoys the process so much that he decides to open his mouth the next time the wind plays tricks at the farm: Perhaps he’ll catch a sound all his own. Chua’s cartoon barnyard is bright, and her animals, expressive, their faces and body language slightly anthropomorphized. The edges of the figures sometimes betray their digital origins. Though the tale is humorous and will give lots of opportunity for practicing animal sounds, the audience is hard to pin down, as the young children sure to enjoy mooing and clucking may not have the patience to sit through the somewhat lengthy text.
For patient listeners, a fun visit to a mixed-up barnyard. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: March 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-8075-8735-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2019
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