A humorous and spirited counting tale for young readers.
In this counting picture book, a bedtime story features plenty of action.
Counting from one to 10, Lisa, a red-haired White girl, and Charlie, a Black boy, describe a story filled with madcap events. For instance, they say the tale is “so noisy, it’s like 3 billy goats are having a meeting.” They also explain that it’s “so Buzzy, it’s like 4 little fairies are fluttering around in the bathroom all trying to brush their tiny teeth at once,” and it’s “so mixed-up, it’s like 8 BIG mice are playing tag with 9 mini cats in the front yard.” When it’s time for bed, Charlie and Lisa count backward from 10 to one, recalling each happening. They admit that it’s “SO hard to sleep with all of this hubbub going on” because “this is NOT REALLY a good night book” but a “GOOD MORNING book.” The story concludes: “Wake up, kids! Welcome to this special day!” Evenson’s zany tale packed with creative scenes will aptly introduce youngsters to basic counting skills. The imaginative incidents have kid appeal, such as the “candy explosion in the playroom.” Matkevych’s colorful, lively illustrations offer animated renderings with charming details, including where critters cozily slumber. Readers will enjoy anthropomorphic characters like the smiling broccoli florets and gardening tools. The last spread integrates the players and elements from each episode, such as the two “big and bad” elephants playing on the seven “wacky swings.”
A humorous and spirited counting tale for young readers.Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-83934-335-3
Page Count: 42
Publisher: Bumblebee Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 21, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Fun enough to read once but without enough substance to last.
Familiar crayon characters argue over which color is the essential Christmas color.
Green starts by saying that green is for Christmas. After all, green is for holly. But Red objects. Red is for candy canes. Green is for fir trees, Green retorts. But Red is for Santa Claus, who agrees. (Santa is depicted as a white-bearded White man.) Then White joins the fray. After spending the year being invisible, White isn’t giving up the distinction of association with Christmas. Snow, anyone? But then there’s Silver: stars and bells. And Brown: cookies and reindeer! At this point, everyone is confused. But they come together and agree that Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without all of them together. Someone may get the last word, though. In Daywalt and Jeffers’ now-signature style, the crayon-written text is spare and humorous, while the crayon characters engage with each other against a bare white background, vying for attention. Dot-eyed faces and stick legs on each object turn them all into comical, if similar, personalities. But the series’ original cleverness is absent here, leaving readers with a perfunctory recitation of attributes. Fans of the crayon books may delight in another themed installment; those who aren’t already fans will likely find it lacking. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Fun enough to read once but without enough substance to last. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 19, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-35338-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2021
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Innovative and thoroughly enjoyable.
You think you know shapes? Animals? Blend them together, and you might see them both a little differently!
What a mischievous twist on a concept book! With wordplay and a few groan-inducing puns, Neal creates connections among animals and shapes that are both unexpected and so seemingly obvious that readers might wonder why they didn’t see them all along. Of course, a “lazy turtle” meeting an oval would create the side-splitting combo of a “SLOW-VAL.” A dramatic page turn transforms a deeply saturated, clean-lined green oval by superimposing a head and turtle shell atop, with watery blue ripples completing the illusion. Minimal backgrounds and sketchy, impressionistic detailing keep the focus right on the zany animals. Beginning with simple shapes, the geometric forms become more complicated as the book advances, taking readers from a “soaring bird” that meets a triangle to become a “FLY-ANGLE” to a “sleepy lion” nonagon “YAWN-AGON.” Its companion text, Animal Colors, delves into color theory, this time creating entirely hybrid animals, such as the “GREEN WHION” with maned head and whale’s tail made from a “blue whale and a yellow lion.” It’s a compelling way to visualize color mixing, and like Animal Shapes, it’s got verve. Who doesn’t want to shout out that a yellow kangaroo/green moose blend is a “CHARTREUSE KANGAMOOSE”?
Innovative and thoroughly enjoyable. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: March 27, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4998-0534-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
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