This book may well have some families greeting the day with a cheerful “oobie doobie,” and there’s nothing wrong with that.
A companion to Smith’s The Goodnight Book (2014) has readers saying good morning in various languages.
A little white girl dressed in yellow raincoat and boots begins with the English “Good morning,” followed by a brown-skinned boy greeting a cat with a cheery, Italian “Buongiorno.” Turn the page, and a little Japanese girl greets her kitty with “Ohayou.” All this seems ordinary until the next page reveals some less-conventional greetings, with a series of silly sounds reflecting a variety of imaginative languages pronounced by an assortment of playfully unusual creatures. “But in some far off places they say… / ‘Guden Tooka.’ ” Talking flowers and strange yet oddly familiar-looking animals will say their versions of good morning, with “Halaa,” “Mest wishes,” or “Good nuggen” all sounding slightly different from the norm. A final page shows a rising sun asking, “How do YOU say GOOD MORNING?” The cheery, painterly illustrations add to the playful tone with smiling, hairy monsters, happy rocks, or anthropomorphic rabbits or bears offering their daily greetings. Little kids often play silly sound games with their own inventive versions, and they might find this inspiring as they develop their language skills and maybe even have their ears tuned to some more traditional foreign tongues.
This book may well have some families greeting the day with a cheerful “oobie doobie,” and there’s nothing wrong with that. (Picture book. 2-4)Pub Date: Oct. 20, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-772290-04-2
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Simply Read
Review Posted Online: Sept. 17, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A spooky house tour, unafraid to redefine what board books are capable of achieving.
Preschoolers, get ready for your first official ghost story.
“There is nobody in this house. There used to be somebody. But there is nobody now.” But is that true? As readers turn the pages of this board book, they pass through an array of rooms. In one, a ghost stands clearly to one side, the unseen narrator pointedly making no mention of it. As the narrative progressives, the ghost continues to peep from within (revealed through cleverly placed die-cuts), never acknowledged, always watching. The effect is both amusing and unnerving—in other words, classic Klassen. For some youngsters, the narrator’s refusal to mention the ghost will be a source of humor (and a chance to yell at the book). For others, it will be just the right amount of creepy, perhaps causing some to question whether a ghost truly is “nobody” at all. To set the mood, Klassen relies heavily on color; the first few rooms are brightly lit in the sun’s rays, but the home grows dimmer as readers proceed. Treating the book itself as a physical location begging to be explored (it’s even shaped like a house), Klassen extends the format beyond its usual limitations, allowing a short story of surprising depth to emerge.
A spooky house tour, unafraid to redefine what board books are capable of achieving. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 14, 2026
ISBN: 9781536248289
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2026
While the book may prove a frustrating search-and-find experience for little ones, youngsters will enjoy the familiar...
Friendly monsters play a game of hide-and-seek with readers among the landmarks of New York City.
On each double-page spread, readers are invited to search for the critters and take in the sights of the city. A gray, amoeba-shaped varmint sits camouflaged against the sea lions’ rocks of the Central Park Zoo; googly-eyed creatures ensconce themselves between Manhattan towers; a speckled, neck-tie–wearing monster spooks ice skaters at Rockefeller Center. In every scene, a one-eyed, red beastie wielding a telescope indicates how many monsters there are to find, usually six to eight. While this critter is not to be counted, its presence may confuse literal toddlers, who may use it in their enumerations. Some of the creatures are quite difficult to find even for grown-ups, particularly the monsters who look like people and a hellion shaped like the flame of the Statue of Liberty’s torch. Many of the landmarks are highly identifiable, and the city scenes are surprisingly authentic despite the presence of the friendly fiends. The minimal text, nestled in the opposite corner from the counting prompt, labels the sights and shares a little more about the monstrous visitors. The companion titles in the City Monsters series, Chicago Monsters and San Francisco Monsters, follow the same format.
While the book may prove a frustrating search-and-find experience for little ones, youngsters will enjoy the familiar scenes, whether they be residents or recent visitors. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: May 16, 2017
ISBN: 978-2-924734-02-5
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Chouette
Review Posted Online: April 25, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
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