Not a timeless classic but a sturdy introduction to the holiday fun.
Another board book designed to prime toddlers for Santa's annual appearance.
Roly Poly, a white bear clad in a holiday sweater, is looking for Santa, in the yard, in the house, and in the kitchen. In the process, he finds his animal friends getting ready for the holiday. In a nod to many families’ reality, the presents are already under the tree when Roly Poly's parents send him off to bed; Santa delivers only the filled Christmas stocking. Each of the four large, semicircular tabs protruding from the side and top of the book does double duty. For example, Deer is on one side of the second tab, which, when pulled, reveals Fox in a die-cut window; when the page is turned, the same tab shows Giraffe, and Cat appears when the tab is slid. The illustrations, cheery, digitally created cartoons, have no relation to real life. Why would a dog and a mouse be baking cookies together? But that won't matter to toddlers, who want to tug on the pages of any book. The half-circle tabs will stand up to their rough handling. The die-cut openings are almost flush to the page surface, so toddler fingers won't be able to tear them.
Not a timeless classic but a sturdy introduction to the holiday fun. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 27, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-7636-8938-4
Page Count: 8
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Review Posted Online: Oct. 18, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character.
One of Boynton's signature characters celebrates Halloween.
It's Halloween time, and Pookie the pig is delighted. Mom helps the little porker pick out the perfect Halloween costume, a process that spans the entire board book. Using an abcb rhyme scheme, Boynton dresses Pookie in a series of cheerful costumes, including a dragon, a bunny, and even a caped superhero. Pookie eventually settles on the holiday classic, a ghost, by way of a bedsheet. Boynton sprinkles in amusing asides to her stanzas as Pookie offers costume commentary ("It's itchy"; "It's hot"; "I feel silly"). Little readers will enjoy the notion of transforming themselves with their own Halloween costumes while reading this book, and a few parents may get some ideas as well. Boynton's clean, sharp illustrations are as good as ever. This is Pookie's first holiday title, but readers will surely welcome more.
A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: July 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-553-51233-5
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Robin Corey/Random
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Perfect for Valentine’s Day, but the syrupy sweetness will cloy after the holiday.
Animal parents declare their love for their offspring in alphabetical order.
Each page displays an enormous capital letter, one line of verse with the keyword capitalized, and a loving nonhuman parent gazing adoringly at their baby. “A is for Always. I always love you more. / B is for Butterfly kisses. It’s you that I adore.” While not named or labelled as such, the A is also for an alligator and its hatchling and B is for a butterfly and a butterfly child (not a caterpillar—biology is not the aim of this title) interacting in some way with the said letter. For E there are an elephant and a calf; U features a unicorn and foal; and X, keyed to the last letter of the animal’s name, corresponds to a fox and three pups. The final double-page spread shows all the featured creatures and their babies as the last line declares: “Baby, I love you from A to Z!” The verse is standard fare and appropriately sentimental. The art is cartoony-cute and populated by suitably loving critters on solid backgrounds. Hearts accent each scene, but the theme of the project is never in any doubt.
Perfect for Valentine’s Day, but the syrupy sweetness will cloy after the holiday. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-7282-2095-6
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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