by Mike Crowder ; illustrated by Mike Crowder ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 7, 2019
Wry wit, unusual choices, and pleasing images make this an enjoyable, all-ages ABC work.
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This debut illustrated abecedarian book aims to make reading aloud fun for adults as well as children.
Among the plethora of ABC books on the market, many offerings make animals their focus, and some creatures show up time and time again. This is especially so for less frequently used letters; for example, Q is usually for "Quail," and Z is almost always for "Zebra." Though children love familiarity and the repetition of their favorites, the grown-ups who read to them may feel jaded by the same old, same old. To address this problem, author and illustrator Crowder speaks to both audiences in his book. Though he does sometimes use well-known examples, like “A is for Alligator,” he often provides some uncommon alternatives, as when readers are told that A also stands for “aardvark, airedale, and akita.” And when a usual suspect shows up—Q is indeed for "Quail"—the author makes the entry amusing, acknowledging that “there are only about six animals that begin with Q. This is one.” For each spread, the left-hand page displays its animal exemplar in the shape of the appropriate capital letter, as with the toucan, whose long, large beak makes the horizontal crosspiece of a T, its body forming the upright. Each right-hand page shows the letter again in regular typography, both uppercase and lowercase, which is a useful touch that not all ABC books include.
For each letter of the alphabet, Crowder supplies some intriguing animal observations peppered with emphatic exclamations. “S is for Salamander,” for example, features the comment that the creature “can regrow lost limbs, parts of its heart, and even parts of its brain…its brain!” It’s easy to imagine reading this aloud with gusto. Many entries include quirky, humorous asides with references that will go over the heads of most children but will be entertaining for adults. For example, readers are warned that the gecko isn’t “cuddly” and “can’t talk either, so don’t let those commercials fool you.” Similarly, under K (somewhat unsurprisingly, for "Kangaroo"), the author notes that “a group of kangaroos is called a mob. It’s not a flash mob. Calm down.” The images are attractively colored, shaded, and proportioned. It’s a plus that the animals aren’t anthropomorphized or cartoony but instead are depicted fairly realistically in ways that convey their particular characteristics. For example, the dolphin’s lines flow aquatically, the fennec fox tilts its head in curious inquiry, and the raccoon washes its hands. The final pages present illustrations for animals mentioned but not portrayed in the main text, such as C for "Coelacanth." A pronunciation guide is included, more useful for adults than for pre-readers, but no glossary. This could have come in handy for terms the book uses but doesn’t define, such as the differences between monkeys, apes, and lemurs—something adults could find challenging to explain to kids.
Wry wit, unusual choices, and pleasing images make this an enjoyable, all-ages ABC work.Pub Date: April 7, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-09-331811-1
Page Count: 60
Publisher: Mascot Books
Review Posted Online: March 27, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 5, 2016
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes.
A lift-the-flap book gives the littlest trick-or-treaters some practice identifying partygoers under their costumes.
Little Blue Truck and his buddy Toad are off to a party, and they invite readers (and a black cat) along for the ride: “ ‘Beep! Beep! Beep!’ / says Little Blue. / ‘It’s Halloween!’ / You come, too.” As they drive, they are surprised (and joined) by many of their friends in costume. “Who’s that in a tutu / striking a pose / up on the tiniest / tips of her toes? / Under the mask / who do you see?” Lifting the flap unmasks a friend: “ ‘Quack!’ says the duck. / ‘It’s me! It’s me!’ ” The sheep is disguised as a clown, the cow’s a queen, the pig’s a witch, the hen and her chick are pirates, and the horse is a dragon. Not to be left out, Little Blue has a costume, too. The flaps are large and sturdy, and enough of the animals’ characteristic features are visible under and around the costumes that little ones will be able to make successful guesses even on the first reading. Lovely curvy shapes and autumn colors fade to dusky blues as night falls, and children are sure to notice the traditional elements of a Halloween party: apple bobbing, lit jack-o’-lanterns, and punch and treats.
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-544-77253-3
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
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by James Dean ; illustrated by James Dean ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 18, 2018
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
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