The straightforward plot, uncomplicated illustrations, and humorous appearance of the decorated dinosaur dad make this a...
A young dinosaur and his dad search their island for a Christmas tree for their holiday celebration.
In this third outing for the little dinosaur, Rory and his group of animal friends are preparing for Christmas Eve. Rory and his dad have decorated their treetop home with Christmas stockings and garland, but they are missing a Christmas tree. The dinosaurs examine several different trees, but nothing on their lush, green island is quite right for their needs. When father and son return home empty-handed, the other animals arrive for a caroling session, followed by a Christmas story and hot cocoa. Rory’s dad surprises his son on Christmas morning by decorating himself as the Christmas tree, complete with glowing lights and a star-shaped hat. There is a jolly celebration and exchange of gifts before a sweet, concluding hug for the dinosaur duo. Digitally produced illustrations use cartoon-style shapes against plain white backgrounds or minimalist scenes of the dinosaur home and island surroundings. Rory and his dad have only tiny dots for their eyes, so they don’t show much expression, and all the characters have a rather flat and posed feel to them. The story is simple but satisfying, with the caring (and frequently used) theme of enjoying the holiday with friends and family.
The straightforward plot, uncomplicated illustrations, and humorous appearance of the decorated dinosaur dad make this a good choice for younger preschoolers. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Oct. 10, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-316-31523-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 20, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
It’s nothing new, but it’s also clearly heartfelt.
A love song from parents to their child.
This title will seem quite similar to the many others about parents’ deep love for their children. The text is wholly composed of first-person declarations of parental love, and it’s juxtaposed with illustrations of the child with one or both parents. It’s not always clear who the “I” speaking is, and there are a few pages that instead use “we.” Most sentences begin with “I love you more” phrasing to communicate that nothing could undermine parental love: “I love you more than all the sleepless nights…and all the early, tired mornings.” The accompanying pictures depict the child as a baby with weary parents. Later spreads show the child growing up, and the phrasing shifts away from the challenges of parenting to its joys and to attempts to quantify love: “I love you more than all the blades of grass at the park…and all the soccer that we played.” Throughout, Bell’s illustrations use pastel tones and soft visual texture to depict cozy, wholesome scenes that are largely redundant of the straightforward, warm text. They feature a brown-haired family with a mother, father, and child, who all appear to be white (though the father has skin that’s a shade darker than the others’).
It’s nothing new, but it’s also clearly heartfelt. (Picture book. 2-4)Pub Date: Aug. 14, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4998-0652-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
This TV rerun in board-book form has nothing new to offer.
Peppa hopes to join her classmates in a Halloween pumpkin competition in this adaptation of a story from the popular British television program Peppa Pig.
With the help of Granny and Grandpa Pig, Peppa turns her giant pumpkin, which is the size of a compact car, into a jack-o’-lantern. The trio is flummoxed when it comes time to transport the pumpkin to the competition, so they call on Miss Rabbit and her helicopter to airlift the pumpkin to the festivities as Peppa and her grandparents ride inside. Peppa arrives just in time for the contest and wins the prize for best flying pumpkin. The scenes look as if they are pulled directly from the television show, right down to the rectangular framing of some of the scenes. While the story is literally nothing new, the text is serviceable, describing the action in two to three sentences per page. The pumpkin-shaped book and orange foil cover will likely attract youngsters, whether they are Peppa fans or not.
This TV rerun in board-book form has nothing new to offer. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 30, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-33922-2
Page Count: 10
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2019
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