The appealing topic combined with easy-to-operate pull tabs and sliders will make this a toddler favorite.
Bizzy Bear learns what it’s like to be a knight as he visits a castle to try his paw at jousting.
This chunky board title features cute Bizzy Bear, and short, simple rhymes tell the story of his day at a castle. Bizzy begins by donning some armor: “Bizzy Bear, Bizzy Bear, here to be a knight. / Bizzy Bear, Bizzy Bear, fits just right!” Readers can help Bizzy by sliding the helmet’s visor up and down with an easy-to-grip tab. Additional tabs on subsequent pages allow little hands to help Bizzy as he brandishes a sword and wins a jousting contest. On the final double-page spread, he is pictured with a trophy, surrounded by friends and enjoying a spectacular feast. The illustrations are vivid and engaging, the storyline appropriately simple, and the interactive features both well-designed and well-constructed. In companion volume Zookeeper, the sliders and tabs enable youngsters to interact with various zoo animals. For example, an easy up-and-down motion makes a crocodile chomp, and the spin of a wheel makes some hungry penguins swim after their fish dinner. The busyness of the illustrations gear both books to toddlers.
The appealing topic combined with easy-to-operate pull tabs and sliders will make this a toddler favorite. (Board book. 2-3)Pub Date: March 10, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7636-7602-5
Page Count: 8
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An engaging take.
The itsy bitsy spider scales the water spout again.
Little readers all over know about the itsy bitsy spider’s quest to reach the top of the water spout. This board book features sliding panels that let little ones help the spider along its journey. The song’s four verses are spread over four double-page spreads, with the spider finally achieving the top of the water spout against a rainbow backdrop on the final page. The illustrations boast a color palette that leans heavily on purples, blues, yellows, and greens. The spider is a round, smiling critter with a jaunty cap and high-top sneakers on all eight feet (one pair each of red, orange, yellow, and blue). The first page of the board book holds a QR code for caregivers to download a free version of the song. The sliding panels are sturdily built, and the calm nature of the song will aid their durability. While some little ones will instinctively want to sing the song and go through the accompanying hand motions, they will adapt to the interactive manipulations fairly easily, making this especially well suited to car rides.
An engaging take. (Board book. 2-3)Pub Date: Nov. 14, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7636-9581-1
Page Count: 10
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Review Posted Online: Sept. 17, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Dinosaur fans will happily engage, but true budding paleontologists will quickly grow out of it
Bright colors and dramatic scenes will attract young dinosaur lovers to this board book with shaped, oversized flaps that hide five popular dinosaurs.
The predictable format lends itself to use with young toddlers. An unnamed dinosaur on the left side of each spread asks a question. When a large flap on the facing page is turned, an extinct creature—there are five in all—is revealed. A sound or behavior one might imagine could be characteristic of that animal is repeated in a larger font. A “happy triceratops” stomps; a “giant diplodocus” munches; a “sleepy stegosaurus” snores; a “flying pterodactyl” squawks; a “mighty Tyrannosaurus rex” (and hatchlings) roars. (Only “Tyrannosaurus” is captitalized, presumably as its moniker includes the full Latin name.) Curiously, the triceratops is described as “happy” with no evidence of that emotion beyond a slight, anthropomorphized smile. If it is happy, why is it stomping? Clever toddlers will quickly learn that the flap in the slightly raised frame on the right-hand page is almost always hinged at the bottom. A second flap opens to the side on the T. rex spread to reveal three baby tyrannosauruses in their eggshells. However, this one is quite difficult to manipulate and easily torn.
Dinosaur fans will happily engage, but true budding paleontologists will quickly grow out of it . (Board book. 2-3)Pub Date: April 3, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-7636-9934-5
Page Count: 10
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Review Posted Online: May 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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