Though this early nonfiction feels a tad generic, the interactive format is fun.
Match an animal with its habitat in an innovative two-books-in-one format.
In this board book’s center, a rectangular cutout acts as a small book within a book, with pages that turn independently of the larger book. Though it’s a stretch to see this as “Two books in one!” as the cover promises (the small book alone is fairly underwhelming), it works well as a matching game, allowing readers to connect the animals to their neighbors in the larger book. Each of the six different habitats has a simply patterned but atmospheric background in a distinctive color, ranging from lightly dappled temperate forest to rich teal waves. It’s easy to match the sandy camel from the small book to its tan-backgrounded, desert-dwelling buddies in the larger book. Predictably organized pages present four clearly labeled side views of animals native to that environment, one per quadrant, with a fifth species to match in the center, inside the small book. Like the no-nonsense format, the lightly detailed animals are equally efficient. Though they lack any spark of life, they are handsome and cleanly silhouetted, with rich, mottled colors and shading that contrasts well with the backgrounds. When the book strays from its tidy organization, such as an owl that flies dynamically out toward readers, it’s a welcome diversion.
Though this early nonfiction feels a tad generic, the interactive format is fun. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: May 14, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-26212-4
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2019
A fun, new take on droppings.
Youngsters can learn about where and how various animals, domestic and wild, relieve themselves.
Via a pull-tab embedded in each recto (not, thankfully, in the rectum) readers can see the before and after, and a goldfish in a bowl leaves a trail while swimming. The verso asks each creature where it does its business, and then a (sometimes-forced) rhyming quatrain, translated from Italian, answers the question: “And where do YOU poop, mouse? / When inside my tummy / Starts to feel not so good / It’s time for a poop / On these chips made of wood!” The final double-page spread queries readers: “And where do YOU poop?” A redheaded, White toddler’s face is visible below this question; the pull-tab on the right opens a bathroom to reveal a White toddler, this time with medium brown hair, happily and modestly sitting on a blue toddler potty. The accompanying quatrain provides some developmentally appropriate guidance for feeling the signs of a movement coming on. Baruzzi’s art is droll and graphically clean (inasmuch as the depiction of excrement can be described that way). Little fingers may need some help finding the relatively easy-to-open and sturdy pull-tabs, since they blend into each page. It works as both a biology lesson and potty-training encouragement.
A fun, new take on droppings. (Novelty board book. 18 mos.-3)Pub Date: May 11, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-66265-042-0
Page Count: 16
Publisher: minedition
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2021
Useful for toddling birders in need of board books about colors.
Gorgeous birds amid foliage of similar hues introduce eight basic colors.
The two birds presented on each spread not only are of similar coloration, but also live in the same North American habitat. A scarlet tanager and a cardinal, both male, perch in a red maple tree; a male Eastern bluebird and a blue jay appear with morning glories and blueberries. The name of each color is printed in large font, while the name of each bird is in a much smaller one. Whether the bird shown is male or female, or if the male and female have similar coloring, is also indicated. The names of the trees they perch upon are identified in a note on the back cover. These details will be lost on most toddlers, but caregivers will appreciate being able to answer questions knowledgeably. Colors featured are from the standard box of crayons, except that pink is substituted for purple. Black and white share a spread. The cover image, of a cardinal, goldfinch, and bluebird in a birdbath, is not nearly as inviting as the images within. The final spread shows children (one white, one black, one Asian) assembling a puzzle that includes the same birds. This may serve as a reprise but will probably be skipped over. Bird-loving readers will probably feel that the space could have been put to better use by giving white birds their own page or adding a purple martin.
Useful for toddling birders in need of board books about colors. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: May 2, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-58089-742-6
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: April 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
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