For toddlers unafraid of typical Halloween imagery.
A troop of cats traverse a spooky landscape as they make their way to a party hosted by ghosts.
Each double-page spread shows the felines’ encounters with the likes of an owl, jack-o’-lanterns or a bat. One or two of these creepy meetings may be too abstract for the youngest readers, as the cats hear eerie noises with no discernible source on the page. The text, which consists of one rhyming couplet per scene, mostly scans despite a couple of wobbles: “Five black cats get a bit of a scare / As the flip-flapping wings of a bat fill the air.” The sleek, slightly retro art, likely created using a computer, depicts the cats cavorting at night through a shadowy cityscape, the countryside and a haunted house; they may scare some toddlers and delight others. A brighter color palette would have given the project a friendlier, more universal appeal. Luckily, the well-lit, final party scene provides a playful conclusion.
For toddlers unafraid of typical Halloween imagery. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-58925-611-8
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: Sept. 24, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2014
Well worth sharing
Bear and Hare are more toddlerlike than ever.
Bear’s the mellower of the two, Hare the scowlier, but their power dynamic is changeable. In Bear & Hare Go Fishing (2015), Hare was subordinate and a bit trampled; in Bear & Hare: Snow! (2015), Hare had all the fun and smirked at hapless Bear. This time, out walking, they find a flower, a balloon, and an ice cream cone as big as Hare. Their dialogue invites readers to chime in: “ ‘Share?’ asked Bear. / ‘Mine!’ said Hare.” Petulantly determined not to share, Hare chomps the flower, grips the ice cream cone with long ears as well as arms, and keeps grasping the balloon even while Bear’s pulling on it. Will there be conflict? Hare eats the edibles, bursts the balloon (well, they both do that), and glares—“But Bear didn’t care.” Bear’s well of forgiveness is endless—matching how quickly and irrationally toddler resentments (sometimes) disappear. When Bear goes briefly away, Hare gets some painful comeuppance. Gravett uses her mastery of expression and composition in fabulous illustrations. Her pencils, watercolors, and crayons make details pop: flower petals sagging out of Hare’s mouth; the primary-colored, liquid-paint–y balloon and its tiny shards after it bursts; pink ice cream staining Hare’s mouth. Backgrounds are white except for a bit of grassy ground, and the visual mood is cheerful.
Well worth sharing . (Picture book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-6217-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Flutter by it.
A sparkly, smiling butterfly looks for a present that “Mommy and Daddy” butterfly have hidden in this lift-the-flap board book.
She peeks under the seven flaps but finds only animal friends. She stands on her back legs or flits from grass to leaf to rosebush to tree to nest. Finally, the flap with a rock on it is lifted to reveal the gift: a rainbow, as gaudy as butterfly herself. The story, though wordy, is slight and silly. The noises the cartoonish animals make are mostly unremarkable, but readers will be puzzled by the turtle that says, “Lah-dee-dah.” The pink and purple butterfly with curling antennae is identified as female. One must wonder if the artist had made it black and brown would it be referred to as male? And of course, any budding entomologist knows butterfly parents just lay their eggs and go off to die. They don't hang around to dote on their offspring, who as “children” are larvae rather than fully developed butterflies—but these scientific facts would render the whole premise of the book moot. Of course, toddlers probably won't care about such details, but they also won't care about this contrived and predictable story. There are no surprises here. From a structural standpoint, while the board pages are sturdy enough, the flaps are quite flimsy and likely will not last through more than one or two encounters with a determined toddler.
Flutter by it. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4998-0153-8
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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