Though the book’s flaps are overambitious, horse lovers will be champing at the bit to meet these new farm friends
Meet various horses and hear their stories in this lift-the-flap ode to all things equine.
Cut into a barn shape, this board book splits down the middle so that the barn doors open outward. On each side is a stall with door-shaped flaps. Through brief, somewhat stiff biographies, readers meet 12 of the (fictional) horses with surprisingly variant stories, from Clyde the firefighter to Biscuit, the itty-bitty pony who prides in taking children “on their first ride.” Each stall displays eclectic paraphernalia that reflects the horse’s particular backstory. Circus horse Nutmeg’s stall showcases fancy feathers, framed photos of her glory days, and lift-the-flap stall doors painted in circus tent stripes that reveal Nutmeg herself, prancing and costumed. Though there’s no plot, there’s a cozy summation as readers meet new mother Maple on the final page, ruminating about which path her own tiny foal might take. Quaint, pastel-colored illustrations feel as though they might be stills from a vintage animated film. All of this warmth however, is reined in by the unwieldy design. Though the cover proudly proclaims “26 lift-the-flaps inside!” it’s too many to comfortably read with a lap-sit child, with flaps flying open unexpectedly and making it difficult to see the sweet horses in their entirety.
Though the book’s flaps are overambitious, horse lovers will be champing at the bit to meet these new farm friends . (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Sept. 11, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4521-7088-6
Page Count: 10
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2019
Children will appreciate this preschool tour and be eager to revisit.
What fun: Exploring a preschool classroom without even being there!
Each spread in this adorable board book contains an embedded groove that gives listeners the opportunity to move a character around a different brightly colored, inviting area of the school. Thus, kids will play while enjoying this book, and they’ll also learn about a preschool environment before they’re actual students themselves. By moving figures around the varied spaces in this school, where the students and teacher are friendly, welcoming, gaily dressed animal characters, children will enjoy a light adventure, gain a safe sense of autonomy, and learn in advance what they will see and do when they join the preschool set officially. The whole joyful experience is described in jaunty, lively rhymes, while the sweet, appealing illustrations, created digitally with markers, collage, and watercolors, depict lively scenes of young animals engaging harmoniously in typical preschool activities. There are cubbies for hanging up outdoor clothing, a tank with two turtles, instruments to play and songs to sing, arts and crafts activities, books to read and storytime, movement games, toys and a kitchen corner to share—and, best of all, new friends to meet and play with. Preschool’s great—and students can return for more fun tomorrow! (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Children will appreciate this preschool tour and be eager to revisit. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 11, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-79721-084-1
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: April 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2023
An adequate addition to an Easter basket.
Four children try to track down the Easter Bunny.
Of the four children searching the grounds of this farm, one is Black (lovely to see the Black child tenderly cuddling a lamb), one is possibly Asian, one has brown skin and brown hair, and the last is White. It’s Easter day, and the mostly rhyming (sometimes straining) text follows the children as they try to track down the Easter Bunny, who “brings chocolate every year[.] / And then hops away again—just watch him disappear!” The children don some truly remarkable Easter bonnets and then are off to find the Easter Bunny. The quartet discovers eggs along the way as they search for the elusive egg-giver over a bridge, through a forest, across a meadow, and finally behind a waterfall—where they find not only the Easter Bunny and his cave full of eggs, but also his egg machine, which makes what appear to be chocolate eggs. Though pastel colors abound, the palette overall is, refreshingly, brighter than what’s seen in many Easter books. The details of the patterns and colors of the eggs will give readers lots to look at as they absorb the Easter Bunny’s lesson that he leaves eggs to remind people of “new life to be appreciated,” embracing the themes of springtime. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 29.6% of actual size.) An adequate addition to an Easter basket. (Picture book. 2-4)Pub Date: Jan. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5247-9333-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
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