LILIANA, LA IGUANA

Name: LILIANA, LA IGUANA
Author: Maria Teresa Oneto
ISBN: 978-1438982410

by Maria Teresa Oneto illustrated by Jose Arboleda ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 19, 2012

A colorful, well-designed adventure suitable for children with various levels of Spanish comprehension or even a bilingual...

bookshelf

A charming, illustrated Spanish-language children’s book about the escapades of an adventurous iguana.

The story of Liliana the iguana is simple: She lives near the beach and makes friends as she goes on various fun adventures. She meets and plays with more and more characters—a frog, a wasp, a chameleon—as they create new games, like playing with an apple or going in the sea. It’s a familiar story but a comforting one. The simple plot structure and eye-catching, beautiful illustrations make for an enjoyable read. The artwork is made from several mediums, including penciled illustrations, paint, colorful paper cutouts and computer graphics. The artist juxtaposes complex, striking hand-drawn and painted images with simpler, childlike drawings in illustrations that often show the magic and beauty of a child’s imaginative mind. Rhyme and alliteration are used often, the combination of which produces a lovely, songlike effect, perfect for reading aloud to young children. Additionally, for educational effect, the text includes certain words—i.e., diversion or intention—most young children won’t know. In a welcome change of pace, the conclusion turns the reading into an interactive experience that features exciting activity instructions, including how to make puppets that look like the characters in the story. In a pleasant detail for the puppet-making process, the book even provides paper stock that’s similar to the character designs in the narrative. The book also teaches children how to play a fun game that the friends play in the story.

A colorful, well-designed adventure suitable for children with various levels of Spanish comprehension or even a bilingual educational setting.

Pub Date: Oct. 19, 2012

ISBN: 978-1438982410

Page Count: 52

Publisher: AuthorHouse

Review Posted Online: Feb. 28, 2013

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

bookshelf

THERE'S A MONSTER IN YOUR BOOK

From the Who's in Your Book? series

by Tom Fletcher ; illustrated by Greg Abbott ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 5, 2017

Playful, engaging, and full of opportunities for empathy—a raucous storytime hit.

bookshelf

Readers try to dislodge a monster from the pages of this emotive and interactive read-aloud.

“OH NO!” the story starts. “There’s a monster in your book!” The blue, round-headed monster with pink horns and a pink-tipped tail can be seen cheerfully munching on the opening page. “Let’s try to get him out,” declares the narrator. Readers are encouraged to shake, tilt, and spin the book around, while the monster careens around an empty background looking scared and lost. Viewers are exhorted to tickle the monster’s feet, blow on the page, and make a really loud noise. Finally, shockingly, it works: “Now he’s in your room!” But clearly a monster in your book is safer than a monster in your room, so he’s coaxed back into the illustrations and lulled to sleep, curled up under one page and cuddling a bit of another like a child with their blankie. The monster’s entirely cute appearance and clear emotional reactions to his treatment add to the interactive aspect, and some young readers might even resist the instructions to avoid hurting their new pal. Children will be brought along on the monster’s journey, going from excited, noisy, and wiggly to calm and steady (one can hope).

Playful, engaging, and full of opportunities for empathy—a raucous storytime hit. (Picture book. 2-7)

Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2017

ISBN: 978-1-5247-6456-2

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Random House

Review Posted Online: June 4, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2017

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
THERE'S A BEAR IN YOUR BOOK
by Tom Fletcher ; illustrated by Tom Fletcher

- BOOK REVIEW
THERE'S A UNICORN IN YOUR BOOK
by Tom Fletcher ; illustrated by Greg Abbott

- BOOK REVIEW
THERE'S A WITCH IN YOUR BOOK
by Tom Fletcher ; illustrated by Greg Abbott

- BOOK REVIEW
THERE'S A BEAR IN YOUR BOOK
by Tom Fletcher ; illustrated by Tom Fletcher

- BOOK REVIEW
THERE'S A UNICORN IN YOUR BOOK
by Tom Fletcher ; illustrated by Greg Abbott

- BOOK REVIEW
THERE'S A WITCH IN YOUR BOOK
by Tom Fletcher ; illustrated by Greg Abbott

bookshelf

IN THE SKY AT NIGHTTIME

by Laura Deal ; illustrated by Tamara Campeau ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2019

A tender bedtime tale set in a too-seldom-seen northern world.

bookshelf

A quiet book for putting young children to bed in a state of snowy wonder.

The magic of the north comes alive in a picture book featuring Inuit characters. In the sky at nighttime, snow falls fast. / … / In the sky at nighttime, a raven roosts atop a tall building. / … / In the sky at nighttime, a mother’s delicate song to her child arises like a gentle breeze.” With the repetition of the simple, titular refrain, the author envisions what happens in a small town at night: Young children see their breath in the cold; a hunter returns on his snowmobile; the stars dazzle in the night sky. A young mother rocks her baby to sleep with a song and puts the tot down with a trio of stuffed animals: hare, polar bear, seal. The picture book evokes a feeling of peace as the street lamps, northern lights, and moon illuminate the snow. The illustrations are noteworthy for the way they meld the old world with what it looks like to be a modern Indigenous person: A sled dog and fur-lined parkas combine easily with the frame houses, a pickup truck, power lines, and mobile-hung crib. By introducing Indigenous characters in an unremarkably familiar setting, the book reaches children who don’t always see themselves in an everyday context.

A tender bedtime tale set in a too-seldom-seen northern world. (Picture book. 3-5)