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COUNTDOWN WITH MILO

Name: COUNTDOWN WITH MILO
Author: Mike Austin
ISBN: 978-1-60905-208-9

From the Adventures of Milo & Mouse series

by Mike Austin & illustrated by Mike Austin ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 25, 2012

An amusing, imaginative launch into outer space.

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Milo and Mouse have an out-of-this-world adventure.

Cat and mouse buckle their seatbelts and head for the stars. The story focuses heavily on trip preparation. Mouse charts the course while Milo revs up the rocket. A vertical bar on the cover's edge provides a 10-second timeline that corresponds to specific actions within scenes and doubles as the countdown to takeoff. A bold “BLASTOFF!” in fiery orange against the royal blue sky depicts the rocket jetting off the page; smaller letters celebrate: “And away they go!” A maplike schematic depicts the steps of their journey, connecting the ambitious (“Visit Saturn!”) to the outrageous (“Hello, Alien!”) with more businesslike steps in between (“Discover new galaxies. Repair the satellite”). The final spread includes a nod to an American pioneer of the great beyond: “It's one small step for Mouse, / one giant leap for Milo!” Fine, frequently dotted lines and busy spreads gear this for toddlers and up.

An amusing, imaginative launch into outer space. (Board book. 1-3)

Pub Date: June 25, 2012

ISBN: 978-1-60905-208-9

Page Count: 18

Publisher: Blue Apple

Review Posted Online: June 12, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2012

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS

- BOOK REVIEW
SUMMER SUPPER
by Rubin Pfeffer ; illustrated by Mike Austin

- BOOK REVIEW
HENNY, PENNY, LENNY, DENNY, AND MIKE
by Cynthia Rylant ; illustrated by Mike Austin

- BOOK REVIEW
RESCUE SQUAD NO. 9
by Mike Austin ; illustrated by Mike Austin

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SPOOKY POOKIE

by Sandra Boynton ; illustrated by Sandra Boynton ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 7, 2015

A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character.

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One of Boynton's signature characters celebrates Halloween.

It's Halloween time, and Pookie the pig is delighted. Mom helps the little porker pick out the perfect Halloween costume, a process that spans the entire board book. Using an abcb rhyme scheme, Boynton dresses Pookie in a series of cheerful costumes, including a dragon, a bunny, and even a caped superhero. Pookie eventually settles on the holiday classic, a ghost, by way of a bedsheet. Boynton sprinkles in amusing asides to her stanzas as Pookie offers costume commentary ("It's itchy"; "It's hot"; "I feel silly"). Little readers will enjoy the notion of transforming themselves with their own Halloween costumes while reading this book, and a few parents may get some ideas as well. Boynton's clean, sharp illustrations are as good as ever. This is Pookie's first holiday title, but readers will surely welcome more.

A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character. (Board book. 1-3)

Pub Date: July 7, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-553-51233-5

Page Count: 18

Publisher: Robin Corey/Random

Review Posted Online: July 26, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

- BOOK REVIEW
HIPPOS REMAIN CALM
by Sandra Boynton ; illustrated by Sandra Boynton

- BOOK REVIEW
WOO HOO! YOU'RE DOING GREAT!
by Sandra Boynton ; illustrated by Sandra Boynton

- BOOK REVIEW
HAPPY EASTER, LITTLE POOKIE
by Sandra Boynton ; illustrated by Sandra Boynton

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SMILE, POUT-POUT FISH

by Deborah Diesen ; illustrated by Dan Hanna ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 7, 2014

An upbeat early book on feelings with a simple storyline that little ones will respond to.

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This simplified version of Diesen and Hanna’s The Pout-Pout Fish (2008) is appropriate for babies and toddlers.

Brief, rhyming text tells the story of a sullen fish cheered up with a kiss. A little pink sea creature pokes his head out of a hole in the sea bottom to give the gloomy fish some advice: “Smile, Mr. Fish! / You look so down // With your glum-glum face / And your pout-pout frown.” He explains that there’s no reason to be worried, scared, sad or mad and concludes: “How about a smooch? / And a cheer-up wish? // Now you look happy: / What a smile, Mr. Fish!” Simple and sweet, this tale offers the lesson that sometimes, all that’s needed for a turnaround in mood is some cheer and encouragement to change our perspective. The clean, uncluttered illustrations are kept simple, except for the pout-pout fish’s features, which are delightfully expressive. Little ones will easily recognize and likely try to copy the sad, scared and angry looks that cross the fish’s face.

An upbeat early book on feelings with a simple storyline that little ones will respond to. (Board book. 1-3)