A purr-fectly good touch-and-feel book.
Help Scratchie the cat sharpen their claws using a variety of textured surfaces.
While this board book might seem in the same vein as Pat the Bunny, this cat takes it to a new, slightly subversive level. Mischievous Scratchie, a charcoal-colored feline, likes nothing more than to “scratch stuff to keep my claws super sharp,” and as the deadpan narrator, Scratchie actively invites human readers along to “scratch things together!” With a determined expression, glowing golden eyes, and a body often posed in unusual angles, Scratchie isn’t an especially adorable cat. Yet kids will empathize with Scratchie’s intense desire to seek out new and novel experiences and textures. The touch-and-feel surfaces are nicely variable, including “rough paper towel” (oddly, rather soft fabric), a raised shiny silver pot, and corrugated cardboard pieces. The tactile elements are constructed well enough to stand up to little hands. The ending, in which a startled human enters the now-trashed kitchen and an unrepentant Scratchie wonders what “we should scratch tomorrow,” will serve as a sort of Rorschach test. For those familiar with the chaos cats can bring, this riotous ending might bring giggles, but it could leave more order-seeking toddlers unsettled. Everyone will leave satisfied by the very last page, though, as Scratchie invites readers to touch one final pleasant texture—Scratchie’s own luxurious fur.
A purr-fectly good touch-and-feel book. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: May 14, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5344-3765-4
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: April 9, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2019
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
Clear nonfiction for the very young is hard to come by, and it appears that the Look & Learn series may finally be on...
An exploration of the human body through colorful photos.
Every other double-page spread labels the individual parts on one major area: head, torso, back, arm and leg. Ethnically diverse boy-girl pairs serve as models as arrows point to specific features and captions float nearby. While the book usefully mentions rarely depicted body parts, such as eyebrow, armpit and shin, some of the directional arrows are unclear. The arrow pointing at a girl’s shoulder hits her in the upper arm, and the belly button is hard is distinguish from the stomach (both are concealed by shirts). Facts about the human body (“Guess what? You have tiny hairs in your nose that keep out dirt”) appear on alternating spreads along with photos of kids in action. Baby Animals, another title in the Look & Learn series, uses an identical format to introduce readers to seal pups, leopard cubs, elephant calves, ducklings and tadpoles. In both titles, the final spread offers a review of the information and encourages readers to match baby animals to their parents or find body parts on a photo of kids jumping on a trampoline.
Clear nonfiction for the very young is hard to come by, and it appears that the Look & Learn series may finally be on the right track despite earlier titles that were much too conceptual for the audience. (Board book. 18 mos.-3)Pub Date: Feb. 11, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4263-1483-4
Page Count: 24
Publisher: National Geographic
Review Posted Online: April 29, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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