Just the thing to persuade even the most nervous of nellies to venture out of their comfort zones.
How far would you be willing to go to save your best friend?
Dot, a brown-and-white dog wearing a red knit cap, loves her best friend, Peep, a purple stuffed elephant. A true homebody, Dot doesn’t love going to the park with the other dogs but does enjoy a jaunt in the garden. Even if there’s a strange smell or something new, being with Peep reassures fretful Dot. When Peep is taken by another dog one day, Dot is forced to leave her fenced-in haven to save her pal. When she ventures into the park, she finds Peep—and a host of canines racing around. The other dogs think that Dot’s efforts to get Peep back are an invitation to play, and eventually Dot decides that the running and chasing are kind of fun. But what if Peep gets taken again one day? Dot hurries home; the next day, she refuses to even leave the house, so her new friends come to her, and she learns that all of them have their own versions of comfort objects, which join Peep on the back endpapers. The illustrations, a mix of full-bleed spreads and vignettes, capture a dog’s perspective perfectly. Though the situation that Dot faces is an overwhelming one—and one that will likely resonate with children also worried about making new friends—soft artwork depicting smiling doggy faces brimming with emotion will convince little ones that taking a risk is well worth it. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Just the thing to persuade even the most nervous of nellies to venture out of their comfort zones. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-72846-771-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Andersen Press USA
Review Posted Online: July 12, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2022
Fun format; bland text.
A hefty board book filled with ruminations on the nature of love.
While love is the topic of this board book, it’s the inventive gatefolds and charmingly vintage illustrations that readers will fall for. Brimming with sweeping declarations along the lines of “Love is / strong. // You have my back and I’ll always have yours,” the text sounds like a series of greeting cards strung together. It’s benign enough, but are most toddlers interested in generic proclamations about love? Some statements, like the ones on “unsinkable” hippos or a panda parent holding a cub “steady,” could introduce new vocabulary. At least there’s plenty of winsome critters to fawn over as the surprisingly sturdy flaps tell dramatic little ministories for each cartoon-style animal species. A downcast baby giraffe looks longingly up at a too-high tasty branch; lift a flap to bring an adult giraffe—and the delicacy—down to the baby, or watch an adventurous young fox retreat into a fold-down–flap burrow to learn that “my heart will always be home with you.” At points, the pages are tricky to turn in the correct order, but clever touches, like a series of folds that slow readers down to a sloth’s speed, make up for it. The book concludes with a gatefold revealing a vibrant playground populated with racially and ethnically diverse humans; two are wheelchair users.
Fun format; bland text. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4197-3153-2
Page Count: 84
Publisher: Abrams Appleseed
Review Posted Online: Dec. 24, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2021
Although a bit on the slight side, this offering is infused with a warm, light humor just right for cuddling up with a young...
This title previously published in the U.K. takes a cozy look at all kinds of kisses.
Walsh’s rhyming text is full of cutesy rhythms: “Kisses on noses, kisses on toes-es. Sudden kisses when you least supposes.” Sometimes the phrasing stumbles: “Who likes to kiss? I do! I do! Even the shy do. Why not try, too?” But toddlers and young preschoolers will probably not mind. They will be too engaged in spotting the lively penguin on each spread and too charmed by Abbot’s winsome illustrations that fittingly extend the wording in the story. Patient dogs queue up for a smooch from a frog prince, cool blue “ ’normous elephants” contrast strikingly with bright red “little tiny ants” and a bewildered monkey endures a smattering of lipstick kisses. Be the kiss small or tall, one to start or end the day, young readers are reminded that “the very best kiss… / is a kiss from you!” Perhaps no big surprise but comforting nonetheless.
Although a bit on the slight side, this offering is infused with a warm, light humor just right for cuddling up with a young tyke or sharing with a gathering for storytime. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Dec. 20, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4424-2769-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Paula Wiseman/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Nov. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2011
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