An intriguing introductory look at a real farm family and their helpful dog.
This introduction to the life of a working farm dog focuses on a day in the life of a border collie named Cadi.
The Baker family lives on a farm with livestock including cows, turkeys, goats, pigs, ducks, chickens, and rabbits. The family, who present white, includes a mom and dad and six children ranging in age from about 3 through the late teens. Cadi’s work herding cows is described in simple terms, illustrated with photographs showing the dog in action. Cadi is also shown interacting with the family’s children and the other animals, getting a bath, and riding in the farm truck. While the storyline is centered on Cadi’s important job herding cows, it also provides an introduction to farm life and farm products such as eggs, milk, and vegetables (but not meat). Some aspects that are not covered are the family’s home and their barn and the dog’s diet in addition to the milk she is shown drinking. The book’s appealing design includes bold backgrounds of purple and bright green, a large type size, and high-quality photographs. The concluding pages include an introduction to the family with all the children’s names, more about Cadi’s lifestyle, and two pages of informative tips on taking care of animals in general. The photo-illustrated story is geared to a preschool audience while the concluding pages are written at a slightly higher level.
An intriguing introductory look at a real farm family and their helpful dog. (Picture book. 2-6)Pub Date: May 12, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4263-3679-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: National Geographic Kids
Review Posted Online: March 14, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Simultaneously simple and sophisticated—but not for the baby and toddler board-book crowd; older preschoolers learning to...
An anthology of Picasso’s animal sketches from various collections including birds, insects, and various mammals.
With pencil and ink reproduced on backgrounds that look like aging white paper (just like the originals), these drawings display a childlike spontaneity. With very few marks, Picasso reduced the animals down to their most basic forms; many look as though they were drawn with one stroke of a pen. An ostrich consists of one leg, a long neck and beak, and a circular scribble at the rear for a tail, and a horse consists of three downward strokes for legs, a boot-shaped head, and two circles at the top of the legs for shoulder and haunch. While his technique is impressive by any standard, the primary audience for board books, babies and toddlers, are still learning to identify each animals’ basic qualities, and these sketches may not serve that goal. Each image is paired with a phrase or sentence at the bottom of the page, often sharing facts both obvious and surprising. (The text is uncredited.) The backmatter includes a short biography of Picasso and much-too-small-to-be-useful facsimiles of the original drawings the sketches were pulled from.
Simultaneously simple and sophisticated—but not for the baby and toddler board-book crowd; older preschoolers learning to make their own representational drawings will be inspired. (Board book. 3-5)Pub Date: April 24, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7148-7418-0
Page Count: 30
Publisher: Phaidon
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
While it’s a playful and useful offering, readers will wish it were a bit bigger and higher contrast.
A pack of playful dogs cavorts through the pages as little ones and their grown-ups are encouraged to engage through gentle prompts.
Panels of bold blocks of color zero in on a variety of dogs, sometimes as many as three in one 5 ½–inch-square page. When the text is not describing each canine (“BIG dog. / Little DOG”), it is encouraging youngsters to fill in blanks (“____ dog” next to a picture of a hot dog in its bun) or repeat back words and simple phrases (“Let’s say YELLOW, FURRY dog!”). On the back cover, the author, a pediatrician, states that the rationale for these prompts is to promote brain growth, build vocabulary, and encourage early literacy skills in young children as well as to bring grown-ups and children together. Parents new to reading with toddlers may need a little more guidance than Hutton provides, but his approach is novel and engaging. Cenko’s richly colored paintings, in what looks to be acrylics, are winsome, imbuing each pup with a distinct personality. However, some of the panels are too small and others are too dark. A dark-brown dachshund is lost against a dark-purple background, a dark-blue sky makes the beach scene look moonlit, and it is difficult to figure out what a cone-wearing dog is up to due to the lack of contrast and the size of the panel.
While it’s a playful and useful offering, readers will wish it were a bit bigger and higher contrast. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: April 4, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-936669-54-7
Page Count: 14
Publisher: blue manatee press
Review Posted Online: April 30, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
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