A meandering tale about a special day that Tucker fans will gobble right up.
This brief introduction to Thanksgiving stars a winsome white terrier named Tucker (Ho, Ho, Ho Tucker!, 2005, etc.).
Tucker wakes up to the smell of turkey on Thanksgiving Day and hangs out in the busy kitchen, hoping to sneak a bite. Later, he helps to clean and prepare the house for the day’s festivities. When Tucker’s canine cousins Tiger and Murphy arrive, they beg for food before being shooed outside to play football. Finally, the big meal is served. The dogs wait patiently, their rear ends and tails shown sticking out from under the table, until they are served their own feast at the end of a wonderful day. The story is best suited to toddlers and preschoolers just being introduced to the holiday, as the very simple plot highlights the bare bones of the celebration, including careful preparation and the coming together of family and friends for a special meal. Oddly, there is no mention of giving thanks. The illustrations, rich with vibrant fall colors, gently falling leaves, and cheerful pups and people, help to set a warm atmosphere of familiarity and fun.
A meandering tale about a special day that Tucker fans will gobble right up. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6887-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Oct. 5, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2015
Parents of toddlers starting school or day care should seek separation-anxiety remedies elsewhere, and fans of the original...
A sweetened, condensed version of the best-selling picture book, The Kissing Hand.
As in the original, Chester Raccoon is nervous about attending Owl’s night school (raccoons are nocturnal). His mom kisses him on the paw and reminds him, “With a Kissing Hand… / We’ll never be apart.” The text boils the story down to its key elements, causing this version to feel rushed. Gone is the list of fun things Chester will get to do at school. Fans of the original may be disappointed that this board edition uses a different illustrator. Gibson’s work is equally sentimental, but her renderings are stiff and flat in comparison to the watercolors of Harper and Leak. Very young readers will probably not understand that Owl’s tree, filled with opossums, a squirrel, a chipmunk and others, is supposed to be a school.
Parents of toddlers starting school or day care should seek separation-anxiety remedies elsewhere, and fans of the original shouldn’t look to this version as replacement for their page-worn copies. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: April 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-933718-77-4
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Tanglewood Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A good choice for caregivers looking for a positive, uncomplicated introduction to a new baby that focuses on everything an...
A little boy exults in his new role as big brother.
Rhyming text describes the arrival of a new baby and all of the big brother’s rewarding new duties. He gets to help with feedings, diaper changes, playtime, bathtime, and naptime. Though the rhyming couplets can sometimes feel a bit forced and awkward, the sentiment is sweet, as the focus here never veers from the excitement and love a little boy feels for his tiny new sibling. The charming, uncluttered illustrations convincingly depict the growing bond between this fair-skinned, rosy-cheeked, smiling pair of boys. In the final pages, the parents, heretofore kept mostly out of view, are pictured holding the children. The accompanying text reads: “Mommy, Daddy, baby, me. / We love each other—a family!” In companion volume I Am a Big Sister, the little boy is replaced with a little girl with bows in her hair. Some of the colors and patterns in the illustrations are slightly altered, but it is essentially the same title.
A good choice for caregivers looking for a positive, uncomplicated introduction to a new baby that focuses on everything an older sibling can do to help. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Jan. 27, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-545-68886-4
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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