Sweet, unpretentious, and, of course, more fun together.
Good times are best shared with friends in this board book that offers more than meets the eye.
Five friendly animals and one little boy celebrate the joys of companionship in this durable board book with sliding pages that extend to reveal a bigger picture. Each page of text offers a greeting to the happy creature on the facing page and inquires, “Are you all alone?” or some variation of that question. “Not today. Take a look,” comes the uniform answer, followed by an explanation of which unseen companions are brightening each character’s day. With an easy pull, the picture page slides out; where there had been an image of a single bear lying on the grass, a second bear now snuggles against it. When the sliding page is turned, the process is repeated, as the picture on the backside also extends to reveal hidden companions, described on the following facing page. The artwork is simple, but the happy characters that populate the brightly colored pages of this book have undeniable appeal. This Dutch import’s extendable pages are sturdy and well-constructed; they appear less apt to tear than the gatefolded or flapped pages often seen in board books. The Q-and-A format of the text invites call and response participation from children, and the hidden characters will delight every young peekaboo enthusiast.
Sweet, unpretentious, and, of course, more fun together. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: April 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-60537-382-9
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Clavis
Review Posted Online: May 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
An excellent, rounded effort from a creator who knows how to deliver.
The farmyard's chickens experience Halloween.
A round, full moon shines in the sky, and the chickens of Boynton's barnyard are feeling “nervous.” Pumpkins shine “with flickering eyes,” witches and wizards wander the pastures, and one chicken has seen “a mouse of enormous size.” It’s Halloween night, and readers will delight as the chickens huddle together and try to figure out what's going on. All ends well, of course, and in Boynton's trademark silly style. (It’s really quite remarkable how her ranks of white, yellow-beaked chickens evoke rows of candy corn.) At this point parents and children know what they're in for when they pick up a book by the prolific author, and she doesn't disappoint here. The chickens are silly, the pigs are cute, and the coloring and illustrations evoke a warmth that little ones wary of Halloween will appreciate. For children leery of the ghouls and goblins lurking in the holiday's iconography, this is a perfect antidote, emphasizing all the fun Halloween has to offer.
An excellent, rounded effort from a creator who knows how to deliver. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Aug. 23, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-7611-9300-5
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Workman
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
An upbeat early book on feelings with a simple storyline that little ones will respond to.
This simplified version of Diesen and Hanna’s The Pout-Pout Fish (2008) is appropriate for babies and toddlers.
Brief, rhyming text tells the story of a sullen fish cheered up with a kiss. A little pink sea creature pokes his head out of a hole in the sea bottom to give the gloomy fish some advice: “Smile, Mr. Fish! / You look so down // With your glum-glum face / And your pout-pout frown.” He explains that there’s no reason to be worried, scared, sad or mad and concludes: “How about a smooch? / And a cheer-up wish? // Now you look happy: / What a smile, Mr. Fish!” Simple and sweet, this tale offers the lesson that sometimes, all that’s needed for a turnaround in mood is some cheer and encouragement to change our perspective. The clean, uncluttered illustrations are kept simple, except for the pout-pout fish’s features, which are delightfully expressive. Little ones will easily recognize and likely try to copy the sad, scared and angry looks that cross the fish’s face.
An upbeat early book on feelings with a simple storyline that little ones will respond to. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-374-37084-8
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
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