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WHAT TIME IS IT, DANIEL TIGER?

From the Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood series

A terrific resource for fans of Daniel Tiger and newcomers alike.

Animated PBS character Daniel Tiger helps readers tell time.

Mr. Rogers–like (explicitly—the show is produced by the Fred Rogers Co.), Daniel Tiger welcomes his neighbors, inviting them to spend the day with him and learn to use a clock along the way. A large clock face with movable hands is accessible through a large, die-cut circle in the upper-right corner of each double-page spread. The hands click and clack as they’re moved around the clock’s face, and the sound is peculiarly satisfying. Each hand has a different noise, helping children to differentiate between the two. Daniel and his family and friends do lots of things throughout the day, including eating breakfast, going to school, running errands, eating dinner, and going to bed. The illustrations emulate the show’s rounded, calmly colored style. Fans of the television show will be entranced. Daniel’s constant engagement with readers will spawn busy interaction, and the fact that this book covers a whole day makes it an excellent read right before bed.

A terrific resource for fans of Daniel Tiger and newcomers alike. (Board book. 2-3)

Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016

ISBN: 978-1-4814-6934-0

Page Count: 14

Publisher: Simon Spotlight

Review Posted Online: Aug. 29, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017

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BEAR'S UNDERWEAR MYSTERY

From the Count-and-Find-It Adventure series

This awkward attempt to force underwear out into the open will likely please many toddlers but few of their grown-ups.

This celebration of briefs (not boxers) leaves little to the imagination.

Bear receives an envelope inviting him to follow a trail of undergarments. His journey leads him deep into the dark woods, and even under the kitchen sink, in search of these undies. The final clue takes him to a disco, where blocky, big-eyed, SpongeBob SquarePants–like characters don their recently recovered underpants. A hairy monster with polka-dot briefs, jagged teeth and bare feet balances a bunny and porcupine in either hand and serves as the unusual party's host. “Welcome to FUN-TO-WEAR, / a party about underwear! / Here's every pattern / and every pair. / Count all Ten and shout: / HOORAY FOR BEAR!” Tabbed, numbered pages help readers keep track of the corresponding clothing. Tabs, text bubbles and backgrounds are all color-coordinated with the various undies. Any substantial plot or character development is sacrificed to the gleeful celebration of tightywhities (or stripies, or plaidies or swirlies).

This awkward attempt to force underwear out into the open will likely please many toddlers but few of their grown-ups. (Board book. 2-3)

Pub Date: May 29, 2012

ISBN: 978-1-60905-204-1

Page Count: 18

Publisher: Blue Apple

Review Posted Online: June 12, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2012

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WHERE IS MILO'S BALL?

Just as visually appealing as the app at first glance, and possibly even more durable—but showing considerable fall-off in...

The blue cat that starred in the excellent app A Present for Milo (2010) makes an awful crossover from the digital domain.

Printed on extra-sturdy boards with folded (rather than glued) flaps, the episode sends Milo in search of his missing ball of string. Led by a helpful mouse, he discovers piles of yarn in various geometric shapes that, once each flap is lifted, reveal common items of the same shape. These range from a square slice of cheese to a triangular piece of pizza to a rectangular granola bar. Meanwhile, behind Milo, two other mice roll up the continual line of multicolored yarn that loops through each cartoon scene so that by the end the ball is restored. Not only is the prose numbingly wooden (“Little mouse,” says Milo, “will you help me find my ball of string?”), it is confusingly phrased. Milo rejects the square because it has “four sides,” which doesn’t distinguish it from the rectangle, and the oval egg isn’t like a ball because it’s “sort of round-ish but also long-ish.” Moreover, the concluding general romp comes off less as a resolution to the plotline than filler for the final spread. In marked contrast to his app incarnation, Milo is no more than a static presence in the art, his body shape even duplicated in some scenes rather than redrawn.

Just as visually appealing as the app at first glance, and possibly even more durable—but showing considerable fall-off in narrative quality and awareness of audience. (Board book. 2-3)

Pub Date: June 25, 2012

ISBN: 978-1-60905-209-6

Page Count: 16

Publisher: Blue Apple

Review Posted Online: April 17, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2012

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