Busy Nellie wakes up in a tangle of blankets ready to start a full day. First on the agenda is deciding on the appropriate attire. Every type of clothing presents itself and Nellie selects an outfit. Breakfast is next and, for Nellie, it’s an introduction to textures as well as food: “crispy cereal o’s, squishy egg, crunchy toast fingers.” Pausing briefly in her busy schedule, she takes a moment to say hello to her friends. Directions such as out, in, on, and under are illustrated as Nellie goes about her morning playing. “Nellie gets tired . . . cranky . . . stubborn . . . mad!” It’s definitely time for a nap. Lunchtime follows and the quick bite is a good excuse to do some counting: “3 baby carrots, 4 cookies, and 24 ants.” The afternoon is filled with colors and the alphabet with one final nod to cause and effect with the introduction of mud and soap. A quick dinner and a story with Daddy finish off this busy toddler’s day and then it’s time for bed. Bright, crisp, multimedia collages are at once simple and effective at conveying the quick lessons on every page. Visually stimulating and interesting, readers will get a taste of many concepts and terms as they spend a day with Nellie. Fast, clever, and fun. (Picture book. 2-5)
Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2002
ISBN: 0-88776-600-5
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Tundra
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2002
Categories: CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS
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A succession of animal dads do their best to teach their young to say “Dada” in this picture-book vehicle for Fallon.
A grumpy bull says, “DADA!”; his calf moos back. A sad-looking ram insists, “DADA!”; his lamb baas back. A duck, a bee, a dog, a rabbit, a cat, a mouse, a donkey, a pig, a frog, a rooster, and a horse all fail similarly, spread by spread. A final two-spread sequence finds all of the animals arrayed across the pages, dads on the verso and children on the recto. All the text prior to this point has been either iterations of “Dada” or animal sounds in dialogue bubbles; here, narrative text states, “Now everybody get in line, let’s say it together one more time….” Upon the turn of the page, the animal dads gaze round-eyed as their young across the gutter all cry, “DADA!” (except the duckling, who says, “quack”). Ordóñez's illustrations have a bland, digital look, compositions hardly varying with the characters, although the pastel-colored backgrounds change. The punch line fails from a design standpoint, as the sudden, single-bubble chorus of “DADA” appears to be emanating from background features rather than the baby animals’ mouths (only some of which, on close inspection, appear to be open). It also fails to be funny.
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 9, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-250-00934-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: April 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015
Categories: CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S FAMILY
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SEEN & HEARD
The odyssey of ducklings venturing forth from their comfortable nests into the big world resonates with children and has been a well-traveled subject of many works geared toward young readers. Thompson’s (Mouse’s First Valentine, 2002, etc.) latest effort will certainly appeal to youngsters despite its lack of originality. Mama Duck is coaxing her five hesitant ducklings (Widdle, Waddle, Piddle, Puddle, and Little Quack) into the water one at a time. A “quack-u-lator” at the bottom of the pages adds an interesting mathematical element, helping children count along as ducklings jump into the pond. Mama encourages each nervous duckling to “paddle on the water with me . . . you can do it . . . I know you can.” Overcoming their initial fright, the first four ducklings “splish, splash, sploosh, and splosh” happily into the water. The simple tale’s climax occurs when Little Quack wavers at the water’s edge. “Could he do it? Did he dare?” Not to spoil the ending, but suffice it to say all five ducklings swim off “proud as can be.” In his debut effort, Anderson’s bright and colorful illustrations are lively and captivating. The five adorable ducklings embark on this rite of passage sporting unique looks ranging from Mohawk-type head feathers to orange spots and flowered hair adornments. A pleasant enough take on an old standby. (Picture book. 2-5)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2003
ISBN: 0-689-84723-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2002
Categories: CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS
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