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 sweetly simple bedtime book with a reassuring message.
A young child’s bedtime anxiety is quelled as familiar friends take turns saying goodnight.
Tucked in bed with a flashlight, Bob looks out the window to a crescent Moon, who smiles down and says, “Goodnight Bob.” Alone in the dark, Bob sees two round, white eyes glow, and when he shines his flashlight, Fish appears in his bowl and also says goodnight. This pattern repeats as each successive pair of white eyes in the dark turns into a cat, dog, mouse, Bigfoot (outside the window), and the stars in the night sky. The simple, predictable text will have children chiming in quickly: “Bob saw two eyes. / It was Dog. ‘Goodnight Bob,’ said Dog. / Bob saw two eyes. / It was Mouse. ‘Goodnight Bob,’ said Mouse.” Finally settled in and with eyes closed, Bob is asleep as the moon and stars give another goodbye and the footprints of Bigfoot recede down the path from the house. The simplicity of this repetitive story is accentuated by the primitive cartoonish pastel drawings in primary colors. Bob is a very young Charlie Brown–type figure with light skin, two dotted eyes, a circle nose, and four bristly lines for hair atop his very round head. Bold white text against a dark blue nocturnal background facilitates repeat reads.
A sweetly simple bedtime book with a reassuring message. (Picture book. 2-4)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-8075-3003-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
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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