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LOVE SONG FOR A BABY

The lyrical verses of this tribute to all the things there are to love about a baby, begins as a mother tells her young son about his earliest days. Tiny hands, perfect toes, rounded features, and even burps become beautiful when viewed through a parent’s loving eyes. Text accompanied by a small illustration faces each full-page painting of the cherubic baby. From a portrait of the expectant parents, through the newborn weeks, to the first hesitant steps of the toddler, this follows the development of one small boy. The mother relates to her young child all the things that there were to love about him as a baby. A final painting features the family in an embrace. An expressive baby full of grins and bright eyes beams out from each oil painting. Parents and grandparents alike will recognize the shy smiles, impish looks, and proud grins. Unfortunately, the uninspired text seems a bit too icky-sweet for even the most tearful young mother. Instead of being simply repetitive, it quickly becomes droning. Fortunately, the beautiful illustrations need no addition for them to shine. (Picture book. 2-5)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2002

ISBN: 0-689-82268-5

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2002

Categories:
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TEENY TINY GHOST

A satisfying friendship story to share with very young children in the days leading up to Halloween.

This board book twists the traditional “Teeny Tiny” tale into a less-scary Halloween treat.

This version uses a singsong-y rhythm and cadence to tell the story. “In the teeny tiny barn / Of a teeny tiny house... / Lived a teeny tiny ghost / and a teeny tiny mouse.” Of course the ghost (being teeny tiny) is not very frightening. “But the determined little ghost / Let her mighty courage through / And with a teeny tiny breath / She said a teeny tiny: boo.” Spoiler alert: After just seven page turns the ghost and mouse become friends: “And now the teeny tinies play / In the teeny tiny house. / Just a teeny tiny ghost / And her best friend, mouse.” Pumpkins decorate the cover and final spread and illustrations throughout are in autumnal hues. The fairly high-for-the-format word count—19 to 21 words per page—may be more than toddlers will sit still for, but the “teeny tiny” repetition and rhymes will help. The size (just 6 inches square) makes using the book with a group a challenge, but with a lap-sitting child, it’ll be a pleasure.

A satisfying friendship story to share with very young children in the days leading up to Halloween. (Board book. 2-4)

Pub Date: July 30, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-338-31848-7

Page Count: 16

Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic

Review Posted Online: April 27, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2019

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TWINKLE, TWINKLE, DINOSAUR

From the Twinkle, Twinkle series

Amiable if slight.

In a text that can be sung to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” a young dinosaur plays with other prehistoric friends and gets ready for bed.

In this companion piece to Twinkle, Twinkle Unicorn (2019), each double-page spread features a friendly, green theropod with rosy cheeks watching pink pterosaurs fly, using a sauropod’s tail as a sliding board, and watching volcanoes explode in the night sky. As the sun sets, the dinosaur yawns and heads back home to two larger dinosaurs, one pink with eyelashes and one blue without, who appear to be mama and papa dinosaur respectively (did color stereotyping based on gender exist 65 million years ago? And why isn’t the protagonist dinosaur mauve?). Waring has arguably created the most benign and affable dinosaurs possible, with their perpetual smiles, rounded horns and teeth, oversized eyes, and brightly colored hides. Weighing in at only a slight 16 pages, the book runs through two modified verses of the classic, and the first scans quite fluidly. The second stanza feels a little forced to make it fit into the bedtime theme: “Twinkle, twinkle dinosaur, / the day is done. / It’s time to snore.”

Amiable if slight. (Board book. 2-4)

Pub Date: May 28, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-5344-3975-7

Page Count: 16

Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: Aug. 25, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2019

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