No ageist stereotypes here! These active grandparents are indeed on the go.
A high-energy board book celebrates intergenerational relationships.
Brief rhymes and alliteration describe what grandpas do. Young children will quickly join in on the refrain, “Go, Grandpa, go!” The grandpas are notably diverse, with a range of skin tones, hair colors, clothing, and ages represented. Four of the grandpas and one of the children wear glasses. One of the grandpas is bald; three have beards; one sports a gray mustache. The children are equally representative, with one in a wheelchair. A child in a dress plays with a firetruck; another wears both a baseball cap and bumblebee wings. A companion volume, Go, Grandma, Go! makes similar sensitive choices. A grandma shops for groceries, but so does a grandpa. If anything, the grandmas’ activities are more strenuous than their counterparts’, including sliding down a slide, sledding, surfing, and hiking. The grandpas’ most daring activities are examining a beehive (inaccurately represented) and stomping in a mud puddle. Busy illustrations against clean backgrounds fill in details and give youngsters plenty to talk about, but that refrain reminds them to turn the page. Quiet snuggle time brings a satisfying end to each book. Are two separate titles really needed? Yes—to give equal attention to both grandpas and grandmas and to serve families whose grandparents don’t come in pairs.
No ageist stereotypes here! These active grandparents are indeed on the go. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: March 10, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5344-5224-4
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 24, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Peek, and you’ll find a rollicking romp here.
The favorite game of toddlers gets a dino twist.
A large dinosaur tries to outsmart a smaller companion when the duo play peekaboo together. The big dino naïvely believes they won’t be noticed behind or under sundry hiding places, but the little pal always finds their playmate. Young listeners will giggle as the large dino attempts to outwit the little one, but in vain; in every instance, the diminutive, overalls-clad dino calls out a triumphant “Peekaboo!” How come? Is it because thin tree trunks and a potted plant can’t conceal the large dino’s frame? Do the big dino’s bold, flower-print shirts stick out a mile? Even when the large dinosaur attempts an aerial hiding place, they discover that ruse doesn’t, ahem, fly, nor does hiding in a crowd wearing a Where’s Waldo?–esque red-striped cap and T-shirt do any good. In a display of good sportsmanship, the big dino concedes at the end the game was fun. The youngest audiences, all of whom will have likely engaged in marathon peekaboo sessions themselves, will undoubtedly scramble to play again. Besides stimulating playtime, this adorable board book, expressed in lilting rhymes, boosts vocabulary development through the use of some common prepositions (behind, in) and adverbs (here, there, everywhere). The illustrations are sweetly engaging; the round cutout on the front cover invites youngsters to play peekaboo games with adult partners and others. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Peek, and you’ll find a rollicking romp here. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 3, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-66592-840-3
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Boynton Bookworks
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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