Joy abounds.
Even at a very young age, there are so many things that kids can do!
This rhyming text is a joyous celebration of all the things that very young children can do as they grow from babies into toddlers. The examples span a range of developmental stages, beginning with simple actions such as standing and eating independently to spinning and jumping. The text bounces gleefully with internal rhymes, creating a celebratory tone sure to make children giggle. Laudably, the accompanying illustrations feature characters with a variety of skin tones, hair types, and ages. Additionally, the book is not limited to positive emotions: While most of the drawings burst with joy, there is also a page celebrating a child’s ability to cry. Unfortunately, while the pages include racially diverse children, they are not so diverse in terms of ability: There is one child with glasses, one who appears to have a hearing aid, and one with leg braces, but there is no child who uses a wheelchair or is otherwise obviously disabled. Particularly in a book that celebrates ability, this feels like a glaring omission. Overall, though, the book is child-centric, featuring only two adults in all of the pages, reinforcing its premise that children (and their amazing bodies) are the stars of their own worlds.
Joy abounds. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-338-28624-3
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Aug. 25, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2019
A joyful celebration.
Families in a variety of configurations play, dance, and celebrate together.
The rhymed verse, based on a song from the Noodle Loaf children’s podcast, declares that “Families belong / Together like a puzzle / Different-sized people / One big snuggle.” The accompanying image shows an interracial couple of caregivers (one with brown skin and one pale) cuddling with a pajama-clad toddler with light brown skin and surrounded by two cats and a dog. Subsequent pages show a wide array of families with members of many different racial presentations engaging in bike and bus rides, indoor dance parties, and more. In some, readers see only one caregiver: a father or a grandparent, perhaps. One same-sex couple with two children in tow are expecting another child. Smart’s illustrations are playful and expressive, curating the most joyful moments of family life. The verse, punctuated by the word together, frequently set in oversized font, is gently inclusive at its best but may trip up readers with its irregular rhythms. The song that inspired the book can be found on the Noodle Loaf website.
A joyful celebration. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-22276-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Rise x Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: Nov. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2020
An upbeat early book on feelings with a simple storyline that little ones will respond to.
This simplified version of Diesen and Hanna’s The Pout-Pout Fish (2008) is appropriate for babies and toddlers.
Brief, rhyming text tells the story of a sullen fish cheered up with a kiss. A little pink sea creature pokes his head out of a hole in the sea bottom to give the gloomy fish some advice: “Smile, Mr. Fish! / You look so down // With your glum-glum face / And your pout-pout frown.” He explains that there’s no reason to be worried, scared, sad or mad and concludes: “How about a smooch? / And a cheer-up wish? // Now you look happy: / What a smile, Mr. Fish!” Simple and sweet, this tale offers the lesson that sometimes, all that’s needed for a turnaround in mood is some cheer and encouragement to change our perspective. The clean, uncluttered illustrations are kept simple, except for the pout-pout fish’s features, which are delightfully expressive. Little ones will easily recognize and likely try to copy the sad, scared and angry looks that cross the fish’s face.
An upbeat early book on feelings with a simple storyline that little ones will respond to. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-374-37084-8
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
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