by Mary Murphy ; illustrated by Mary Murphy ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 2016
Move over, Goodnight Moon. There’s a new star on the bedtime bookshelf.
The third entry in Murphy’s ...Like This series explores the nighttime world of animal parents and babies settling down for sleep.
Each double-page spread shows a different adult-baby animal pair (or grouping of several youngsters) in its own outdoor environment. The adult-baby pairs or groups clearly convey deep attachment, but the pairings are not specified as mother-child, so the book is equally meaningful for dads or grandparents or caregivers to read to their favorite little ones. The patterned text offers a few descriptive words in a rhyming couplet followed by a simple “good night, sleep tight” wish. A cleverly designed half-page flap then turns to show the animals sleeping “like this.” A tiny animal or insect pops up on these sleepy pages with a white speech balloon offering a cheery “Good night!” These little critters are also skillfully camouflaged on the full-page illustration the flap lies over, providing an additional layer of interest as readers look back to spot the hiding places. Vibrant illustrations use a glowing palette of golds and purples, swirling lines, and Murphy’s signature thick, black outlines to create an evocative atmosphere of deepening twilight. This is a bedtime story that has it all: humor, playful language, and a soothing combination of rhyme, rhythm, and repetition woven together with compelling illustrations that have the surrealistic edge of the dream world.
Move over, Goodnight Moon. There’s a new star on the bedtime bookshelf. (Picture book. 1-5)Pub Date: Feb. 23, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-7636-7970-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Nov. 16, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2015
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by Dan Saks ; illustrated by Brooke Smart ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2020
A joyful celebration.
Families in a variety of configurations play, dance, and celebrate together.
The rhymed verse, based on a song from the Noodle Loaf children’s podcast, declares that “Families belong / Together like a puzzle / Different-sized people / One big snuggle.” The accompanying image shows an interracial couple of caregivers (one with brown skin and one pale) cuddling with a pajama-clad toddler with light brown skin and surrounded by two cats and a dog. Subsequent pages show a wide array of families with members of many different racial presentations engaging in bike and bus rides, indoor dance parties, and more. In some, readers see only one caregiver: a father or a grandparent, perhaps. One same-sex couple with two children in tow are expecting another child. Smart’s illustrations are playful and expressive, curating the most joyful moments of family life. The verse, punctuated by the word together, frequently set in oversized font, is gently inclusive at its best but may trip up readers with its irregular rhythms. The song that inspired the book can be found on the Noodle Loaf website.
A joyful celebration. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-22276-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Rise x Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: Nov. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2020
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by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 2, 2018
Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come.
Little Blue Truck and his pal Toad meet friends old and new on a springtime drive through the country.
This lift-the-flap, interactive entry in the popular Little Blue Truck series lacks the narrative strength and valuable life lessons of the original Little Blue Truck (2008) and its sequel, Little Blue Truck Leads the Way (2009). Both of those books, published for preschoolers rather than toddlers, featured rich storylines, dramatic, kinetic illustrations, and simple but valuable life lessons—the folly of taking oneself too seriously, the importance of friends, and the virtue of taking turns, for example. At about half the length and with half as much text as the aforementioned titles, this volume is a much quicker read. Less a story than a vernal celebration, the book depicts a bucolic drive through farmland and encounters with various animals and their young along the way. Beautifully rendered two-page tableaux teem with butterflies, blossoms, and vibrant pastel, springtime colors. Little Blue greets a sheep standing in the door of a barn: “Yoo-hoo, Sheep! / Beep-beep! / What’s new?” Folding back the durable, card-stock flap reveals the barn’s interior and an adorable set of twin lambs. Encounters with a duck and nine ducklings, a cow with a calf, a pig with 10 (!) piglets, a family of bunnies, and a chicken with a freshly hatched chick provide ample opportunity for counting and vocabulary work.
Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come. (Board book. 1-4)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-544-93809-0
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
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