An engaging, energetic, amusing, and affirming must for blanket lovers.
A seriously swaddled child invites readers to explore the transformative power of a blanket.
Wrapped up in a tweedy blanket, a wide-eyed child with beige skin and a shock of pale blond hair greets readers with a surprised “hello” and adds, “I was too busy being warm and cozy inside my FUZZIEST blanket” to notice anyone. Describing the blanket wrapping as a “blanket cocoon,” the child explains how cocoons provide protective coverings for certain insects, giving them a “safe place to become their grown-up selves in.” The child urges readers to quietly observe a caterpillar spin its cocoon, disappear inside, and eventually emerge an amazing butterfly. Wondering if readers would “like to be inside a blanket cocoon just like me,” the child deftly demonstrates how to roll up inside a favorite blanket. Once inside a blanket cocoon, readers can snuggle, wiggle, feel safe and warm, and close their eyes to imagine traveling through space, running in a rainforest, hunkering inside an igloo, or swimming beneath the ocean waves. Leaving the security of a blanket cocoon might seem scary, but it’s exciting because “we could BE ANYTHING!” The bold, chunky, hand-lettered text reinforces the immediacy of the child narrator’s lively conversation with readers. Dynamic illustrations rely on simple shapes, expressive close-ups, and hilarious shots of the ebullient child, cleverly turning the blanket cocoon into a metaphor for the process of growing up.
An engaging, energetic, amusing, and affirming must for blanket lovers. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5479-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2020
Parent-child love and affection, appealingly presented, with the added attraction of the seasonal content and lack of gender...
A polar-bear parent speaks poetically of love for a child.
A genderless adult and cub travel through the landscapes of an arctic year. Each of the softly rendered double-page paintings has a very different feel and color palette as the pair go through the seasons, walking through wintry ice and snow and green summer meadows, cavorting in the blue ocean, watching whales, and playing beside musk oxen. The rhymes of the four-line stanzas are not forced, as is the case too often in picture books of this type: “When cold, winter winds / blow the leaves far and wide, / You’ll cross the great icebergs / with me by your side.” On a dark, snowy night, the loving parent says: “But for now, cuddle close / while the stars softly shine. // I’ll always be yours, / and you’ll always be mine.” As the last illustration shows the pair curled up for sleep, young listeners will be lulled to sweet dreams by the calm tenor of the pictures and the words. While far from original, this timeless theme is always in demand, and the combination of delightful illustrations and poetry that scans well make this a good choice for early-childhood classrooms, public libraries, and one-on-one home read-alouds.
Parent-child love and affection, appealingly presented, with the added attraction of the seasonal content and lack of gender restrictions. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-68010-070-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
A testament to the universality of love.
An expanded explanation of love in both English and Spanish.
Several animal personalities pose the question, “What is love?” and in a series of lift-the-flap responses present various emotional scenarios. Little Elephant asks Spider, “Is it the joy of having you around?” Spider asks, “Is it the way you lift me when I’m down?” Each page corresponds to a flap that reveals one of a multitude of feelings love can evoke in either an English or Spanish rhyme, which are not direct translations of each other. An interspersed refrain notes, “Amor for the Spanish, / and love en inglés. / Love in any language / always means the same.” A palette of pastels and purple and pink hues dominate as hearts abound on each page, surrounding the characters, who are adorable though on the overly sweet side. The characters are from the bilingual preschool series Canticos, though it will work even among those without knowledge of the show. Children more fluent in Spanish will be better able to appreciate this, and those familiar with the show will recognize the signature characters, including “Los Pollitos” (Little Chickies). (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A testament to the universality of love. (Board book. 3-6)Pub Date: Nov. 8, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-945635-72-4
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2022
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