A pleasant multilingual introduction.
Learn the names of exuberantly collaged plants and animals in seven different languages.
Bold botanical collages made from a loud assortment of recycled papers and newsprint dominate this board book’s largely white pages. Among the well-chosen assortment of plants are some that may be intimately familiar to many North American readers, like sunflower or apple tree, but there are also intriguing, lower-profile selections, such as baobab tree, mimosa, or snake plant, which might provide opportunities to learn about new flora and fauna. Befitting its towering status, the sequoia tree must be turned to portrait orientation, an enjoyable feature. Numbered and corresponding with a key on the back cover, the English, Chinese, Hindi, Spanish, French, Arabic, and Esperanto versions of the plant species are printed about the collage, albeit a bit haphazardly. The three languages that do not use the roman alphabet are also presented in romanized form; there is no pronunciation guide. Companion title Animals shares the same art style and features 17 different species. Occasionally in both books, the collaged paper is a tad busy, making the art feel slightly muddied, and some of the animals’ eyes, made of cut newsprint letters, have an eerily uncanny feel (looking at you, deer!). Extra touches of whimsy, such as a rainbow chameleon enthusiastically hunting a hopping cricket, make it satisfying to read.
A pleasant multilingual introduction. (Board book. 1-5)Pub Date: Oct. 19, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-73622-643-8
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Blue Dot Kids Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
Don’t judge this book by its cover; there’s an unusual concept and whimsical illustrations hiding underneath
A series of solid shapes substitute for natural objects in this board book that is somewhere between concept book and riddle game.
What’s that shape supposed to be? Running across a rust-brown labeled triangle, amid trees and elk, the text “Climb a TRIANGLE to the top” suggests the shape is a mountain; in an ocean scene with a red “STAR washed in on the waves,” the shape implies a sea star. Ample visual cues give young readers enough context to guess what the shape evokes, with some unexpected touches, such as “HEXAGON” printed on hexagonal honeycombs buzzing with bees and surrounded by golden flowers. Short, commanding sentences keep things humming, but with only six shapes covered, the book feels all too brief. Illustrator Devernay combines delicate pencil line drawings and sketchy gray-black shading with tiny, meticulously cut colored-paper collage to create her plants and animals. The most intimate drawings amaze. Close-ups of smooth stones are so appealing that readers will long to pick one up and “rub a smooth OVAL between thumb and finger.” Sadly, the cover doesn’t do the interior justice, and things get murky when several hues mix there and on the final spread. But on other spreads, where there’s a single color, it pops against the gray, such as the minute yellow beaks on the flock of charcoal birds circling the yellow “CIRCLE” sun.
Don’t judge this book by its cover; there’s an unusual concept and whimsical illustrations hiding underneath . (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: March 13, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-56846-317-9
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Creative Editions/Creative Company
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
BLOG
A nice addition to this baby-attuned series.
In this newest addition to the Baby Scientist series toddlers are introduced to the basics of what a botanist does.
The book starts with a simple and straightforward explanation of its subject matter: “Who studies plants? / Baby Botanist does!” Wearing a white lab coat with yellow polka dots, a brown-skinned child with a purple hair bow holding up its one little curl proceeds to present a number of simply stated and easily understood plant facts. As with the previous books, the illustrations are colorful, uncluttered, and humorously engaging, and baby has a sidekick; this time it is a blue-and-yellow snail. After planting a seed, Baby wonders what plant will grow. The text explains that some plants have roots and some do not, and they might grow on water or underground. In a simple acknowledgment of a healthy diet, the book states “Baby’s favorite foods all come from plants.” Children are also presented with food they may not recognize as coming from plants, such as noodles and chocolate. In the end, the seed that Baby has planted, watered, and kept in the sunlight “grows into a flower for Mama!” and with that comes a big thank-you hug from Mama.
A nice addition to this baby-attuned series. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-06-284132-2
Page Count: 22
Publisher: HarperFestival
Review Posted Online: Sept. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2019
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
