From the hammer on the cover that readers can “swing” to the treehouse door little ones can open and close, the interactive...
Bizzy Bear and his gang of helpful critter friends build a treehouse together, while readers operate various tools.
Larger than other titles in the Bizzy Bear series, the book also offers an interactive element on each page. Flaps become the doors of vehicles and the lids of tool boxes; a sliding panel moves a saw back and forth or allows readers to manipulate a measuring tape; a spin dial on the side of the book activates a power drill and more. The simple prose describes the actions of Bizzy Bear and company in one or two sentences. Oversize, digital images of the titular bear in lively scenes keep the project moving along to the playful conclusion, which is revealed with a sliding panel: The treehouse actually doubles as a rocket ship, with Bizzy Bear peeking out of the upper porthole. While the flaps may not last more than a dozen readings, the sliding panels are strong and sturdy. The saw is difficult to manipulate, however, as it is evidently serrated for verisimilitude, and may require some adult intervention.
From the hammer on the cover that readers can “swing” to the treehouse door little ones can open and close, the interactive elements steal the show. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-7636-7395-6
Page Count: 10
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Review Posted Online: Sept. 2, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2015
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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
Good for a giggle from preschool readers despite its slight imperfections.
A brightly illustrated story told in rhyme about mixed-up robots getting ready for the day.
Holub and Dickason team up for another title echoing the style of their similarly formatted Hello Knights! and Hello Ninjas! (both 2018). Here, the titular robots are having trouble getting ready for the day. They put socks on top of shoes and even forget how to eat their cereal, pouring milk on their heads and flipping their bowls upside down on the table. The confusion comes to a climax in a double gatefold in which the robots realize that they need a reboot, correcting their routines. Young readers will delight in the silliness: underpants on heads, bathing in clothes. Holub’s rhyming text works well for the most part and includes some charming turns of phrase, such as “brushing bolts” in place of brushing teeth. Dickason’s illustrations use a consistent palette of mostly primary colors and feature 1960s-style robots drawn with antennae, motherboards on boxy chests, and wheels for feet. The pages are busy and packed, allowing for new discoveries upon each read, though this busyness argues for use with older toddlers. It’s not entirely clear where the robots are headed (school?) or whether or not they’re also ETs (they fly away on a spaceship), but the story is fun enough to overlook those muddled details.
Good for a giggle from preschool readers despite its slight imperfections. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5344-1871-4
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 2, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2019
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