A little girl peers from her window in the night, waiting for her dinosaur to appear. She nips outside, whistles, and a green-mottled megacreature materializes. They cavort until first light—visiting with the denizens of the night, taking a moonlit dip, the girl reaching for the stars. She is dropped off at home for a few winks; at breakfast her mother wants to know why she has leaves in her hair. `` `I played with my dinosaur last night,' I tell her. `That's nice,' she says.'' Weatherby (illustrator of Jim Murphy's The Last Dinosaur, 1988, not reviewed) tells the story dreamily, with a near-glut of tenderness and warmth: ``My dinosaur never scares the night creatures. They like him,'' and, from her farewell song, ``Good night, my dinosaur. Sleep tight, my dinosaur. Soon I'll see you again, my very best friend.'' Younger children will find plenty of reassurance here—there is nothing to fear from the night or large beasts—but both text and illustrations are spun from sugar and far too fragile for the sharp skepticism and dinosaur expertise of the older end of the picture-book set. (Picture book. 2-5)
Pub Date: March 1, 1997
ISBN: 0-590-97203-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1997
The Littlest Fish explores the ocean in search of new friends, only to come across several predatorily threatening creatures, including an octopus, a jellyfish, a crab and a sharp-toothed shark. Seeking a place to hide, the Littlest Fish finds himself suddenly in the shadow of an open-mouthed, miserable giant fish who complains of a tummy ache. A bit of investigating allows the Littlest Fish to find that Jonah, the prophet who said “No” to God, has been swallowed whole and is the cause of the discomfort. Promising to obey God’s command to lead the people of Nineveh to righteousness, Jonah is then freed from the confinement of the cavernous belly “with a thunderous Burp!” Rouss, known for her creativity in interpreting Judaic principles for a child’s perspective, employs rhyming couplets to capture the essence of this Old Testament chapter centering on repentance and forgiveness. Avalone’s slick, commercial-looking paintings in blues and purples depict a lively undersea community fans of myriad Disney adventures will find familiar. A serviceable addition to the Bible-story shelf. (Picture book. 3-5)
Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2008
ISBN: 978-1-934440-53-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2008
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The appealing topic combined with easy-to-operate pull tabs and sliders will make this a toddler favorite.
Bizzy Bear learns what it’s like to be a knight as he visits a castle to try his paw at jousting.
This chunky board title features cute Bizzy Bear, and short, simple rhymes tell the story of his day at a castle. Bizzy begins by donning some armor: “Bizzy Bear, Bizzy Bear, here to be a knight. / Bizzy Bear, Bizzy Bear, fits just right!” Readers can help Bizzy by sliding the helmet’s visor up and down with an easy-to-grip tab. Additional tabs on subsequent pages allow little hands to help Bizzy as he brandishes a sword and wins a jousting contest. On the final double-page spread, he is pictured with a trophy, surrounded by friends and enjoying a spectacular feast. The illustrations are vivid and engaging, the storyline appropriately simple, and the interactive features both well-designed and well-constructed. In companion volume Zookeeper, the sliders and tabs enable youngsters to interact with various zoo animals. For example, an easy up-and-down motion makes a crocodile chomp, and the spin of a wheel makes some hungry penguins swim after their fish dinner. The busyness of the illustrations gear both books to toddlers.
The appealing topic combined with easy-to-operate pull tabs and sliders will make this a toddler favorite. (Board book. 2-3)Pub Date: March 10, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7636-7602-5
Page Count: 8
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf
