The natural audience for this offering is a little older than its main character: they will easily identify with Trixie’s...
Anguish begets language in this tale of a toddler’s lost stuffie.
Trixie and her daddy go on an errand to the local laundromat, an odyssey that takes the intrepid pair through the park and past the school and back—but “a block or so later . . . Trixie realized something.” Her desperate attempts to communicate (“AGGLE FLAGGLE KLABBLE!”) proving fruitless, Trixie resorts to time-honored toddler tactics: she bawls and goes boneless. Readers will deduce what Trixie’s clueless daddy does not: her toy bunny has been left behind. Retro-style (think Rocky and Bullwinkle) cartoons depict the human players in the drama; sepia-tinted photographs of the artist’s Brooklyn neighborhood, framed in pale green, provide the backdrops. Willems is a master of body language; Trixie’s despair and her daddy’s frazzlement as expressive as her joy (“KNUFFLE BUNNY!”) and his triumph at the excavation of the errant bunny from the washing machine.
The natural audience for this offering is a little older than its main character: they will easily identify with Trixie’s grief and at the same time feel superior to her hapless parent—and rejoice wholeheartedly at the happy reunion. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2004
ISBN: 978-0-7868-1870-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2004
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BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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
With eyelids fluttering open, an adorable African-American toddler wakes to play a game of peekaboo with everyone. First spying someone over the mound of blankets heaped on the bed, it is “Peekaboo! I see . . . my mommy.” Peering over the edge of another bed, “Peekaboo! I see . . . my daddy.” Again and again, this smiling child sees someone else, even spying her own diapered image in the mirror. A tail wagging out from behind a door turns out to be a puppy. A string trailing from behind an ottoman is a toy train. Traveling outside, a hat dipped low over the garden is “my grandma,” and the man peeking from behind the newspaper is “my grandpa.” Finding a rabbit, a butterfly, and even a friend in the garden is more fun when incorporated into this extended game. The toddler finishes by peering out from the pages to play it with the reader. A small drawing with a clue as to who might be featured in the next scene of this familiar game, precedes the discovery. When the child surprises the object of her interest, the drawings of her smiling face spill across the whole page. Bright pastel drawings, full of vibrant color, illustrate this familiar game. Toddlers will delight in the play-along potential of this beautiful story. (Picture book. 2-5)
Pub Date: May 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-399-23602-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2002
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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