Opposites, friendship, and beautiful artwork all in one charmingly designed book.
Flora is back in another board book (Flora and the Chicks, 2017), all the better for little hands just learning basic concepts.
Wearing a purple romper with white lace along the edges and holding a yellow parasol, the little white girl meets an ostrich in matching purple-and-white feathers. As they glance at each other sideways, Flora facing “front” and the ostrich “back” to, Flora says “hello,” and the shy ostrich hides its head in the sand: “goodbye.” And so this tentative pas de deux continues until a friendship is made. The story is told in opposite pairs of words—hide/seek, under/over, give/take, stop/go. Idle’s elegant and graceful images against a white background are quite simply beautiful. On every other double-page spread a gatefold flap opens and extends the word depicted. The last double-page spread shows Flora on one page holding her hand out to the ostrich looking at her on the opposite page, the word between them reading “apart.” As readers open the double page–spanning gatefold, Flora and the ostrich have met in a balletic pose under the parasol, and the word above them reads “together.” Children will be delighted.
Opposites, friendship, and beautiful artwork all in one charmingly designed book. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4521-4658-4
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2018
A satisfying friendship story to share with very young children in the days leading up to Halloween.
This board book twists the traditional “Teeny Tiny” tale into a less-scary Halloween treat.
This version uses a singsong-y rhythm and cadence to tell the story. “In the teeny tiny barn / Of a teeny tiny house... / Lived a teeny tiny ghost / and a teeny tiny mouse.” Of course the ghost (being teeny tiny) is not very frightening. “But the determined little ghost / Let her mighty courage through / And with a teeny tiny breath / She said a teeny tiny: boo.” Spoiler alert: After just seven page turns the ghost and mouse become friends: “And now the teeny tinies play / In the teeny tiny house. / Just a teeny tiny ghost / And her best friend, mouse.” Pumpkins decorate the cover and final spread and illustrations throughout are in autumnal hues. The fairly high-for-the-format word count—19 to 21 words per page—may be more than toddlers will sit still for, but the “teeny tiny” repetition and rhymes will help. The size (just 6 inches square) makes using the book with a group a challenge, but with a lap-sitting child, it’ll be a pleasure.
A satisfying friendship story to share with very young children in the days leading up to Halloween. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 30, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-31848-7
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: April 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
This TV rerun in board-book form has nothing new to offer.
Peppa hopes to join her classmates in a Halloween pumpkin competition in this adaptation of a story from the popular British television program Peppa Pig.
With the help of Granny and Grandpa Pig, Peppa turns her giant pumpkin, which is the size of a compact car, into a jack-o’-lantern. The trio is flummoxed when it comes time to transport the pumpkin to the competition, so they call on Miss Rabbit and her helicopter to airlift the pumpkin to the festivities as Peppa and her grandparents ride inside. Peppa arrives just in time for the contest and wins the prize for best flying pumpkin. The scenes look as if they are pulled directly from the television show, right down to the rectangular framing of some of the scenes. While the story is literally nothing new, the text is serviceable, describing the action in two to three sentences per page. The pumpkin-shaped book and orange foil cover will likely attract youngsters, whether they are Peppa fans or not.
This TV rerun in board-book form has nothing new to offer. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 30, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-33922-2
Page Count: 10
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2019
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