A joyful celebration of a toddler’s new capabilities. A little boy proudly proclaims all the things he can do since he’s turned three. He jumps, hops, wiggles, cuddles, giggles, climbs and crows from an adult’s shoulders: “See, I’m bigger, I’m high as can be, / I’m so much bigger now I’m three.” The text could describe a child from almost any culture or country, but the pictures clearly set the story in an aboriginal community in Australia. Rich reds and browns dominate the dynamic illustrations created with pastels on colored paper. For the most part, the landscape is sparse, populated by only a few buildings and scattered trees in the background. Foregrounded is a community in which children actively explore an expansive natural world while supportive adults lend them an occasional hand and scoop them in for cuddles. Pair this with I Can Do It Too, by Karen Baicker and illustrated by Ken Wilson-Max (2003), or I Can Do It Myself!, by Diane Adams and illustrated by Nancy Hayashi (2009), for a triple celebration of toddlers’ and preschoolers’ increasing independence. (Picture book. 2-4)
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-74175-883-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Review Posted Online: Dec. 25, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2010
More a sure-fire flop than a patriotic primer.
It's unlikely little ones will garner much appreciation for the U.S. of A. from these trivial riddles.
Rhymes cover a gamut of iconic (and not-so-iconic) images associated with the United States of America. The design is developmentally unfortunate for the audience, with a riddle on the right-hand page of each spread. Each page turn reveals the answer and begins the set-up for the next example, creating a disconnect between riddle and image. Although visual clues indicate a riddle's answer—an eagle's wings appear around the box of text that contains the verse, for instance—it doesn't work for a board-book audience. Clichés abound (apple pie, cowboy), while a tour of landmarks provides only a superficial overview. Phony enthusiasm is the order of the day. “Its pretty flowers / smell so sweet / this thorny flower / can't be beat.” (And since when has the rose been a symbol of the United States?) The necessary superficiality results in an experience almost devoid of meaning; the focus on the White House, for example, skips any mention of the country's Commander in Chief. “In Washington, D.C. / you're sure to see / this special house / and a cherry tree!”
More a sure-fire flop than a patriotic primer. (Board book. 3-4)Pub Date: July 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-58536-179-3
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Review Posted Online: Nov. 22, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2011
Without a consistent child's voice, this runway romp fizzles.
A young fashionista's play proves less inspired than her posh designs.
Imitation is indeed the sincerest form of flattery for this daughter, as Birdie plays dress-up in her mother's stylish attire. She twirls in princess dresses, adopts a movie-star identity in sunglasses and teeters in stilettos. Her little white pooch, Monster, serves as a stylish sidekick, even posing as a hat-stand for one of her mama's beautiful, two-toned accessories. Birdie's fashion-conscious mother, never viewed face-on, showcases her sense of daring design with mile-high shoes and slim, crossed legs. Though the book seems initially to be a light trip into dressing-up, Birdie's childlike exuberance veers abruptly into contrived self-awareness. “But there's nothing better than just being me!” The stylish design features splashes of paint and tissue-paper ribbons; a cutout Birdie pops in her exaggerated high heels on the fashion-forward cover. Textured accents and varied patterns highlight the finest form of fashion.
Without a consistent child's voice, this runway romp fizzles. (Board book. 2-3)Pub Date: April 3, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-316-20111-7
Page Count: 14
Publisher: LB Kids/Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 29, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2012
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