Unfortunate word choice and a disconcerting image mar an otherwise engaging story of two toddlers’ early-morning adventure in this Australian import. Gleeson’s rhyming text is told mainly in the voice of the older child. The unnamed narrator encourages her (or possibly his) younger sibling to wake up, roll out of bed, crawl down the hall and join her in climbing into their parents’ bed. Although Vivas takes care to show that both children land on soft covers, the illustration of the baby landing head-down on a hardwood floor is unsettling. Also potentially disturbing is Gleeson’s use of “mangle” in the litany of ways that the family interacts as they hug and cuddle. Parents willing to overlook these quibbles may be won over by Vivas’s softly rounded, richly colored watercolor-and-pencil illustrations and by Gleeson’s obvious affection for the cozy family ritual she describes. But more than most, this is one picture book that readers will want to preview before reading (or purchasing). (Picture book. 2-4)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-7636-2320-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2004
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
As this story reveals, dressing a toddler can be like performance art. “This is the baby who hates to be dressed.” The buoyant text repeats and builds on itself: “This is the diaper, often a mess, that goes on the baby who hates to be dressed.” Meanwhile, we watch Mom as she wrestles, cajoles, tumbles about, and lovingly hams it up (she wears shoes on her head). When presented with the likes of thick socks and an itchy sweater, the youngster wails, “No! No! Nooo!” At last he’s dressed; mom slumps and baby pouts. So, the little whippersnapper sets about to undo all that has been donned. When Mom reappears, bundled up, baby is at last gleeful—and naked as a jay bird. Great for the youngest toddler who’s learning names of clothing. The undressing part, though, seems to be instinct. The illustrations are lively, depicting the roly-poly tot with cheer. The colors span a broad range of super-bright paints using purples and greens to great advantage. This baby is a fun, giggly romp. (Picture book. 2-4)
Pub Date: Aug. 12, 2004
ISBN: 0-374-37486-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Melanie Kroupa/Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2004
An unseen first-person protagonist tempts readers to try their hand at crafts by showing various tools up close. On cardstock paper bound in a small rectangle, shiny, colorful photos of screwdrivers, hammer, pliers, pincushion, scissors, fabric, a seed packet, and paint tell the visual story. Neither the narrator nor her craft-talented parents (woodworking dad, sewing mom) are seen as they build, stitch, and plant vegetable seeds; the tools stand in for the actions. The narrator knows already that when she grows up, she’ll “join hands with my mom and dad” and become an artist. The different shapes of the pages can be a little awkward, extraneously cut out to match the objects on them, but the design is otherwise lovely. Photos of a lush open-up paint box, brushes, and paint splotches are irresistible—have some paints ready for readers to use themselves. (Picture book. 2-4)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-15-205107-4
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2004
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