Four children of diverse ethnicity—and one small dog—cavort through the seasons, backgrounded by rhythmic verses and a simple refrain.
“We’re bringing the outside in, oh, / Bringing the outside in…” begins the book, with a double-page spread showing the children in raincoats, silhouetted against a sky in which the sun has begun to peek out. The pale-skinned girl with eyeglasses and pink raingear is deliberately splashing through a puddle, in nice contrast to her obviously feminine attire. On the next pages, she peers at a worm dangling from the fingers of her male, Asian-American friend (or, perhaps, younger sibling). “Worms in our clutches, / Wind in our hair, / Boots full of puddle, / Mud everywhere!” Finally comes the cleaning phase, in which the children work cooperatively and equally enthusiastically: “Bringing the outside in, then… / Wiping it off, / Mopping it up, / Dumping it out again.” Although most of the gentle, mixed-media illustrations show girls in more passive pursuits than boys, all the children show delightful exuberance as they enjoy each season’s outdoor offerings by playing, collecting treasures, recording memories, and cleaning up. Occasionally, a white adult woman shows up to help, but the focus is on the children. The text, art, and layout magically lure readers into believing that cooperation and cleaning are as natural and enjoyable as playing.
A sweet book for any place with small children in it. (Picture book. 2-4)Pub Date: Feb. 9, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-449-81430-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Jan. 8, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2016
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This ambitious board book aims to promote an eclectic appreciation for music of all kinds.
Music, from drumming to computer-generated sound, is introduced as a linear historical sequence with two pages devoted to each of 11 styles, including medieval European, orchestral, blues, and more. Most of the musicians are portrayed as children, many with darker skin tones and with hairstyles and garb commonly associated with each type of music. Radford works in a retro cartoon mode, varying his presentation slightly with each new musical style but including a dancing dachshund on almost every spread, presumably to enhance child appeal. Unfortunately, the book just can’t succeed in reducing such a wide range of musical styles to toddler-appropriate language. The first two spreads read: “We start with clapping, tapping, and drums. // Lutes, flutes, and words are what we become.” The accompanying illustrations show, respectively, half-naked drummers and European court figures reading, writing, and playing a flute. Both spreads feature both brown-skinned and pale-skinned figures. At first reading this seems innocent enough, but the implication that clapping and drumming are somehow less civilized or sophisticated than a European style is reinforced in Stosuy’s glossary of music terms. He describes “Prehistoric Music” as “rhythmic music [made] with rocks, sticks, bones, and…voices,” while “Renaissance Music” is defined as “multiple melodies played at the same time.”
The history of music is a big topic, and more-nuanced explanation is needed than the format allows. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Aug. 21, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5344-0941-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2019
Categories: CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S ENTERTAINMENT & SPORTS
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BOOK REVIEW
A brief rhyming board book for toddlers.
Spurr's earlier board books (In the Garden and At the Beach, both 2012; In the Woods, 2013) featured an adventuresome little boy. Her new slice-of-life story stars an equally joyful little girl who takes pleasure in flying a new kite while not venturing far off the walkway. Oliphant's expressive and light-filled watercolors clearly depict the child's emotions—eager excitement on the way to the park, delight at the kite's flight in the wind, shock when the kite breaks free, dejection, and finally relief and amazement. The rhymes work, though uneven syllable counts in some stanzas interrupt the smooth flow of the verse. The illustrations depict the child with her mass of windblown curls, brown skin, and pronounced facial features as African-American. Her guardian (presumably her mother) is also brown-skinned. It is refreshing to see an African-American family settled comfortably in a suburban setting with single-family homes and a park where the family dog does not need to be leashed.
A gentle outing for children who are ready for stories of everyday life rather than just objects to name. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: March 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-56145-854-7
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
Categories: CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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