by Masayuki Sebe ; illustrated by Masayuki Sebe ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2014
Not Sebe’s best, but fans will want the complete collection.
Sebe is up to some monkey business with his latest counting escapade, following 100 hungry monkeys as they search for food, take a nap, narrowly escape a monster who turns out to be a new friend, have a campfire singalong and bed down for the night after a very busy day.
Young readers are sure to sympathize with the hungry monkeys who groan, cry and complain about their empty bellies, and their body language will be familiar to all those adults who have dealt with a famished child. As in his previous two counting outings, Sebe rewards patient readers who are slow to turn the pages with seek-and-find games on every page (and another at the back of the book). Humorous asides from various monkeys combine with questions for readers to answer using the busy illustrations: “Which monkey is biting a tail?” “Where is the baby monkey?” These questions challenge color, food and animal recognition, vocabulary knowledge, and of course, counting skills. Unlike Let’s Count to 100! (2011), the monkeys are spread willy-nilly across the pages with no effort made at organization or grouping, so counting each spread of 100 is a challenge indeed. Too, the similar-looking monkeys get a little old after just a few page turns, their expressions and body language often off-putting.
Not Sebe’s best, but fans will want the complete collection. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-77138-045-4
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: Jan. 21, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2014
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by Masayuki Sebe ; illustrated by Masayuki Sebe
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by Masayuki Sebe & illustrated by Masayuki Sebe
by Joan Holub & illustrated by Jan Smith ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 1, 2012
Between its autumn and field-trip themes and the fact that not many books start countdowns from 20, this may find its way to...
A class visits the pumpkin patch, giving readers a chance to count down from 20.
At the farm, Farmer Mixenmatch gives them the tour, which includes a petting zoo, an educational area, a corn maze and a tractor ride to the pumpkin patch. Holub’s text cleverly though not always successfully rhymes each child’s name within the line: “ ‘Eighteen kids get on our bus,’ says Russ. / ‘But someone’s late,’ says Kate. / ‘Wait for me!’ calls Kiri.” Pumpkins at the tops of pages contain the numerals that match the text, allowing readers to pair them with the orange-colored, spelled-out numbers. Some of the objects proffered to count are a bit of a stretch—“Guess sixteen things we’ll see,” count 14 cars that arrived at the farm before the bus—but Smith’s artwork keeps things easy to count, except for a challenging page that asks readers to search for 17 orange items (answers are at the bottom, upside down). Strangely, Holub includes one page with nothing to count—a sign marks “15 Pumpkin Street.” Charming, multicultural round-faced characters and lots of detail encourage readers to go back through the book scouring pages for the 16 things the kids guessed they might see. Endpapers featuring a smattering of pumpkin facts round out the text.
Between its autumn and field-trip themes and the fact that not many books start countdowns from 20, this may find its way to many library shelves. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: July 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8075-6660-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: May 15, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2012
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by Joan Holub ; illustrated by Laurie Keller
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by Joan Holub ; illustrated by The Little Friends of Printmaking
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by Joan Holub ; illustrated by Daniel Roode
by Jessica Hische ; illustrated by Jessica Hische ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 11, 2023
Somewhat cerebral but brimming with visual charm—and likely to spark ideas in the artistically minded.
U said it!
The diminutive lowercase letters attending Ms. Bracket’s School for Little Letters, located in New York City, embark on a “Find Yourself Field Trip” and observe letters everywhere—on signs, on T-shirts, and more. When personable U, the story’s protagonist, talks to a letter in a book at the New York Public Library, she realizes how powerful and important letters and words are; a discussion with a letter on a sculpture spelling out the word hope inspires optimism. When it’s her turn to share her field-trip experiences, U recaps her conversations and the lessons learned, namely, be yourself, or, in U’s case, be U. Her decision about who to be when she grows up should please readers, though the heavy-handed lead-up to that conclusion may confound them. The story is cute, though a bit thin, with a lofty message that may go over kids’ heads. However, the humorous, inventive illustrations are appealing, with playful use of typography and fonts; many colored images are pleasingly set against monochromatic line drawings. The adorable, exuberant student letters and teacher have spindly limbs, dots for eyes, and small, curved mouths. Ms. Bracket, who resembles a squiggly, yellow piece of pasta, wears a “hair” adornment. Children may be spurred to take part in their own creative lettering activities—collages for example. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Somewhat cerebral but brimming with visual charm—and likely to spark ideas in the artistically minded. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 11, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-38502-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2023
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by Jessica Hische ; illustrated by Jessica Hische
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by Candace Fleming & illustrated by Jessica Hische
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