Perfect for a snuggly read, a Valentine’s Day storytime, or a gift between special friends of any age.
A humorous explanation of what love is and isn’t.
Though the text is straightforward, the spare cartoon illustrations are loaded with fun details. Spreads feature the words I love you followed by three rhyming phrases. The first illustration of each verse offers a humorous contradiction: “I love you like a cuddle loves”—a cactus? (The accompanying image depicts a brown-skinned child looking nervously at the cactus.) Of course not. But the next illustrations and words show more likely comparisons. “I love you like a cuddle loves / a bunny.” Even the youngest listeners will get the joke that a bear loves honey and not broccoli or that a cat prefers sleeping in the sun to walking under cloudy skies, although many young readers will not embrace I love you “like a heart loves / romance.” Strategic page turns add suspense or giggles and create opportunities for children to supply their own answers, perhaps even in rhyme, and the text’s simple format can easily be extended for more wordplay using daily events. Fun word choices will introduce kids to potentially new vocabulary. “I love you like a pirate loves / an X, // like a witch loves / a hex, // and like a muscle loves / to flex.” Because the book ends with the clear message of “I LOVE YOU!” readers should be prepared to close the book and share a loving hug or two. Characters throughout are diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Perfect for a snuggly read, a Valentine’s Day storytime, or a gift between special friends of any age. (Picture book. 3-8)Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-79721-007-0
Page Count: 60
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This should send Dark Knight fans flying to the Batcave—or the bedroom.
Holy bedtime, Batman!
In a sleepy-looking neighborhood under a dusky cerulean sky, a young, brown-haired, white boy goes through the motions of getting ready for bed: he brushes his teeth, takes a bath, picks up his toys, and feeds his fish. In a parallel visual narrative, beckoned by the cat's-eye–yellow bat-signal, Batman keeps Gotham safe for another night by catching crooks, locking them away, and avenging those who have been wronged. Though the two characters are quite different, through a carefully flexible narrative, Dahl and Beavers weave a convincing tale of just how similar they might be. “It’s time to take care of business” describes the child’s trip to the potty and Batman’s dive down a manhole equally well, for instance. Beavers' art is visually striking and vibrantly hued, perfect for keeping young eyes glued to each page. Dahl's economical text is cadenced with a gentle lilt, just right for a bedtime read-aloud. Young fans of the caped crusader will delight in spying their favorite characters. In the already-overstuffed bedtime-book market, this is certainly a niche read, but it hits its mark well, delivering fun without darkness. A “bedtime checklist” at the end aptly includes “story time.”
This should send Dark Knight fans flying to the Batcave—or the bedroom. (Picture book. 3-8)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-62370-732-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A nice but not requisite purchase.
A retelling of the classic fairy tale in board-book format and with a Mexican setting.
Though simplified for a younger audience, the text still relates the well-known tale: mean-spirited stepmother, spoiled stepsisters, overworked Cinderella, fairy godmother, glass slipper, charming prince, and, of course, happily-ever-after. What gives this book its flavor is the artwork. Within its Mexican setting, the characters are olive-skinned and dark-haired. Cultural references abound, as when a messenger comes carrying a banner announcing a “FIESTA” in beautiful papel picado. Cinderella is the picture of beauty, with her hair up in ribbons and flowers and her typically Mexican many-layered white dress. The companion volume, Snow White, set in Japan and illustrated by Misa Saburi, follows the same format. The simplified text tells the story of the beautiful princess sent to the forest by her wicked stepmother to be “done away with,” the dwarves that take her in, and, eventually, the happily-ever-after ending. Here too, what gives the book its flavor is the artwork. The characters wear traditional clothing, and the dwarves’ house has the requisite shoji screens, tatami mats and cherry blossoms in the garden. The puzzling question is, why the board-book presentation? Though the text is simplified, it’s still beyond the board-book audience, and the illustrations deserve full-size books.
A nice but not requisite purchase. (Board book/fairy tale. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-7915-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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