Inclusive characters and appealing illustrations make this a fun and factual trip to space.
This board book makes tongue-in-cheek comparisons between an astronaut’s special skill set and a growing baby’s.
“Ground control to Major Baby: / Could you be an astronaut?” As this board book lays out the parallels between an astronaut and a baby, the answer seems to be, “Yes!” Even though all of the comparisons aren’t exact, of course, they are adorable and sure to elicit a smile. The text “Astronauts need healthy hearts, good eyes, and strong teeth. / Baby’s heart and eyes and tooth are in tip-top shape” is accompanied by a picture of an astronaut of color and a white baby with one prominent tooth, each receiving a thorough checkup. Both have specialized swim gear, work in small spaces, and speak several languages—all jokes that older children and parents will enjoy. All of the children and astronauts are diverse: refreshingly neither majority white-presenting nor majority male-presenting. Black’s illustrations echo an animation aesthetic. The people have large eyes, the colors are bold, and the pages are uncluttered. Though babies aren’t quite ready to blast off and leave their families behind, the story ends with a lovely picture of a sleeping baby dreaming of the “journey ahead.” The last two pages offer “Fun Facts” about astronauts that, while certainly interesting, are arguably appropriate only for readers outside the book’s target audience.
Inclusive characters and appealing illustrations make this a fun and factual trip to space. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: June 25, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-31222-5
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 21, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
Appealing characters, novel presentation, and useful concepts—a winner! (Board book. 1-3)
A clever introduction to the concept of opposites for the board-book set.
Clear, simple drawings and the ingenious use of die-cut pages illustrate several paired, contrary concepts. Zoe, a zebra, and her friend Zack, a chameleon, introduce readers to a series of geographical, physical, and emotional antipodes. On the first two pages, the two friends run down parallel sets of stairs; turn the page with the die-cut staircase, and those very same images of Zoe and Zack appear to be bounding up the stairs. In the next spread, Zoe and Zack sit sadly, watching a caged bird. Turn the die-cut page, and the bars of the cage become the stems of flowers, as the bird flies free to the obvious delight of the now-happy friends. Readers will easily grasp the contrasted concepts, although not all of the words are exact antonyms. “Happy” is paired with “sad” and also with “angry.” A castle is “knocked down,” rather than broken, and then “fixed.” The book was originally published in French; some of the featured terms may have been more obvious opposites prior to (the uncredited) translation. Perhaps the weakest pairing is “upset” and “not upset anymore,” although the expression of opposites through negation is a useful, age-appropriate construction, and the meaning, expressed in terms of lost ice cream and the palliative power of sharing, couldn’t be clearer.
Appealing characters, novel presentation, and useful concepts—a winner! (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: April 3, 2018
ISBN: 978-2-74708-700-1
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Twirl/Chronicle
Review Posted Online: March 17, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
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