Good interactive fun for tots.
“Bugsy Bug is going to see his grandma”—but is not sure how to get there. By following the clues, readers can help him find her.
When they open the cover of this log-shaped board book, readers will find a veritable bug metropolis thriving inside. Cartoon-style illustrations in appropriately earthy tones depict ants, bees, worms, ladybugs, crickets, and a whole host more of not-so-identifiable critters. Stairs, hallways, and ladders lead to homes; shops, a cafe, and a restaurant; a library (with bookworms, of course!); and even a big, scary spider web. As Bugsy Bug asks for directions to his grandma’s house, friendly bugs give him instructions: “Go through the door by the bee in a bow tie.” When readers explore the different lift-the-flap doors on each double-page spread they will find amusing little scenes taking place behind most doors. The correct door has a die-cut opening leading to the next page. In addition to the action taking place behind the doors, each page turn is full of little details that will keep readers lingering before they move on. The amount of text per page, the busyness of the illustrations, and the dexterity required to lift the flaps without tearing them off the page altogether indicate an audience of older toddlers and preschoolers.
Good interactive fun for tots. (Board book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 28, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7636-9322-0
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Pretty light fare to share with tots noticing differences among dads.
A rhyming celebration of the way dads are different from one another.
“There are some dads who worry. // And some dads who hurry. // And some dads who get lost on the way.” Bland’s illustrations feature expressive anthropomorphic animals and expand significantly on the clipped text (especially beneficial as the Australian creator’s rhymes can be iffy with an American accent: “sporty” with “naughty”). The worrier (an elephant) fills a pool with red-and-white–striped life rings while his daughter stands on the diving board. The hurrying polar bear bombs down a hill on skis, his little one atop his back. And the two Holsteins who are lost cling to a buoy, their map blowing away. The naughty dad (a sheep) plays with water balloons in the house, and the peacock’s brilliant plumage brightens his chick’s rainy day. Unfortunately reinforcing a sedentary lifestyle, the sporty frog dad, though wearing sweat bands and with a badminton racket and birdie near, is playing a video game with his child (a small frog, not a tadpole). And the ending is rather flat: “Some dads are loud. / And all dads are proud. // And you’ll never forget which is yours.” The simultaneously publishing Some Moms is similarly structured and ends, “All moms solve problems in their own special way. // A day spent with Mom is a wonderful day.”
Pretty light fare to share with tots noticing differences among dads. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 2, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7624-6199-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Running Press Kids
Review Posted Online: March 19, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2017
There are better fish in the board-book sea.
Dramatic stock photos and die-cut tabs are the distinguishing features of this board book.
“Did you know that there are over 400 types of sharks?” is an intriguing opening, but readers primed to find out about those specific types may be surprised that the shark on the facing page is not identified. Instead, the picture of a shark above a school of fish gives a sense of its size. Smaller text explains that shark skeletons are made of cartilage, not bone. Layered die cuts that accentuate the nose and mouth of nine different sharks on the right-hand pages invite children to turn the pages quickly. White type printed against various contrasting colors on the left-hand pages offers tidbits of information but is unlikely to make young children pause long enough to be read the text. A picture of almost 40 sharks swimming together seems to contradict the accompanying explanation that many sharks are endangered. A final full-color spread speaks of sharks’ important role in maintaining ocean balance and includes a picture of a grandfatherly shark scientist. The back cover is devoted to information for adults. While intriguing and scientifically credible, the wordy text and seemingly arbitrary factoids are well beyond the attention spans of all but the most avid young fans of the species.
There are better fish in the board-book sea. (Board book. 3-4)Pub Date: June 6, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4549-2128-8
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Sterling
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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