Real food may not be “required,” but only the most unfeeling caregiver would fail to provide it after such an appetizing...
With help from sliders and spinners, even the youngest sous-chefs can pretend to mix ingredients, pour batter, and dish up a yummy pancake.
The first in a projected Cook in a Book series, this toddler-level recipe promises “full interaction and satisfaction” with “no food required!” Nieminen lays out all the required ingredients and kitchen equipment, then uses the latter to pour and blend and whisk the former in proper order. The images are so simplified that some really need their accompanying captions to recognize (a flat yellow rectangle doesn’t look much like “2 tablespoons of softened, unsalted butter,” for instance, and the “1 greased frying pan” is just a filled-in circle with a green bar for a handle). A slider allows readers to “add the flour” on one side of the page and “pour the milk” on the other, while a spinner allows them to whisk and stir. One of the two silver-dollar–sized pancakes in the pan is a cutout round that can be flipped “when the tops begin to bubble” and, when done, lifted out and pressed onto a plate on the next page—all ready for syrup, fruit, or other condiment. “Delicious!”
Real food may not be “required,” but only the most unfeeling caregiver would fail to provide it after such an appetizing teaser. (Informational novelty. 2-4)Pub Date: Oct. 24, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-7148-7283-4
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Phaidon
Review Posted Online: Nov. 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2016
There is always room in the Easter basket for a counting book, and many readers may appreciate having another simple,...
A cheerful brown bunny hiding behind the edges of an Easter basket looks just as surprised as young children will be to find the chicks revealed as each egg “hatches.”
With help from a reading partner, young children are encouraged to count down the eggs as they disappear with each page turn. Alternatively, they can count up as the chicks are revealed. A simple phrase at the top of each right-hand page states the number of eggs in the basket. The line at the bottom (half of a rhyming couplet) tells how many chicks readers should look for. The numbers are spelled out, requiring young children to recognize the word instead of the more familiar numeral. On the left-hand page, the spaces previously occupied by an egg begin to fill with meadow plants and critters, eventually becoming a scene as busy and cheerful as a greeting card. This book begs to be touched. Each egg is made of shaped plastic that protrudes through die-cut holes on the verso; they can be pressed but seem to be securely anchored. The pastel chicks are lightly flocked, providing an additional tactile experience. Although the pages are thicker than paper, young fingers may find the holes a convenient way to grip (and possibly tear) the pages.
There is always room in the Easter basket for a counting book, and many readers may appreciate having another simple, nonreligious holiday book. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Jan. 27, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-545-74730-1
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Nov. 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
Who knew that turning the pages could be the best part of a book?
The concept of this picture book is simple enough: 10 birds topple, slip, and dive their way off the titular twig until there is one left. The text itself echoes familiar singsong-y children’s rhymes like “Five Little Pumpkins.” While it mostly succeeds, there are some awkward spots: “5 on a twig, there used to be more… / SNAP! Don’t say a word, now there are four.” (On each page the number is both spelled out and represented as a numeral). The real scene stealer, however, is the book’s interplay between Cole’s illustrations and the physical pages themselves. In much the same way Eric Carle utilizes the pages in The Very Hungry Caterpillar to show the little critter eating its way through the week, Cole uses pages of increasing width to show how the twig grows shorter as each bird falls and marches off purposefully with the others, all headed toward verso with pieces of twig in their beaks. Stylistically, the book is captivating. The very colorful, egg-shaped birds appear on a single, thin black line on a stark white background. This backdrop stands in powerful contrast to the book’s final two pages, which are set against black negative space, a theme echoed in the book’s feather-print endpapers. The heavy, thick pages make it easy for little hands to participate. The text takes a back seat to the playful and compelling design, which is sure to delight readers.
Who knew that turning the pages could be the best part of a book? (Picture book. 2-4)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-72821-593-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2020
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