An effective rendering of the classic tune.
The classic tune rolls along in a sliding board book.
Sooner or later, just about every American child learns “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.” This large board book supplies little readers with four different verses, each set on a double-page spread. A dog, a cat, and a rabbit row their boat through the English countryside, a woodland, Antarctica (or maybe the Arctic—there’s a penguin standing outside an igloo, so it’s hard to tell), and a tropical rain forest. The illustrations feature rounded, smiling animals in warmly colored environments. The sliding components are easy for little readers to manipulate, but their construction leaves a bit to be desired; excitable little ones will have no trouble tearing them apart. A concurrently published title illustrates Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star in a similar fashion. While not essential, these books do provide fodder for storytimes, and little ones familiar with how books work will be intrigued by the sliding panels.
An effective rendering of the classic tune. (Board book. 1-2)Pub Date: Feb. 14, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7636-9240-7
Page Count: 10
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Review Posted Online: June 18, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Take it, or leave it.
A wintertime story that can be sung to the tune of “The Itsy Bitsy Spider.”
The itsy bitsy snowman and his friends are playing in the snow. They climb up a snowy hill, jump on a sled, slide fast, and zip past children skating on ice. Then, though the text tells readers that he “dodged a snowball fight,” his head becomes separated from his body. Not to worry, “out came his friends / to lend a happy hand.” In the last spread the itsy bitsy snowman stands with his mom, dad, and friends, “And everything was perfect / in his winter wonderland.” The story, intended to be read to the tune of the beloved nursery rhyme, doesn’t always quite fit the template, as in: “The itsy bitsy snowman / climbed up the snowy hill. // He jumped on a sled / and slid fast…what a thrill!” For no obvious reason, on every page one word is printed in a different color from the rest of the text. Rescek’s illustrations are bright, cheery, and cartoonlike, with an appropriate wintry pale blue as the dominant color. Though sweet and cute, there is nothing particularly fresh or new here.
Take it, or leave it. (Board book. 1-2)Pub Date: Sept. 22, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4814-4837-6
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
As bright and bold as the holiday it celebrates.
An excited little one celebrates Easter.
The Easter Bunny is on its way, and Patricelli’s one-haired tot is thrilled. He prepares for the holiday by painting eggs and making bunny ears. On the big day, he excitedly looks for Easter eggs while his parents watch. The bold, rounded illustrations catch the eye, with a wide range of colors used throughout. The author pays a little lip service toward education by showing primary colors combining to create secondary colors, but the book's main focus is the exuberance that comes with celebrating the holiday, particularly when the traditions are so new and exciting. The enthusiasm is infectious, and read-alouds will most likely lead to little ones’ looking to do some arts and crafts of their very own.
As bright and bold as the holiday it celebrates. (Board book. 1-2)Pub Date: Feb. 10, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6319-3
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2015
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