More than the children it ostensibly targets, new parents will appreciate this tender celebration of the parent–first baby...
Two doting parents celebrate the many milestones of their first child.
Very proud parents (dad is white; mom has Asian features and coloring) narrate here, taking time to spell out all of the special moments they have shared with baby. They croon to the little one that he or she (it’s not clear whether the child is a girl or a boy) was first to smile, cry, coo, look at the trees and flowers, go to the beach, crawl, dig in the garden, throw a ball and more. Through the poignant moments selected and the realistic yet muted illustrations that accompany them, readers watch as the seasons change and the child grows from tiny newborn to intrepid toddler. A blissful portrait emerges, with milestones such as teething pain and temper tantrums scrupulously avoided. The tender final pages—while potentially envy-inducing for those readers not first-born themselves—reveal the authentic but often unspoken feelings many new parents harbor: “You were the first to teach us how to be parents. // One day there may be a second— / or a third—to sleep in the basket with the yellow ribbon wound round. // But you will always be the first.”
More than the children it ostensibly targets, new parents will appreciate this tender celebration of the parent–first baby bond that grows as fast as the little one does. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 24, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-316-18533-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: July 30, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2013
While it’s useful for the wide range of animals covered, the disconnect between the occasionally sophisticated text and the...
Zenz utilizes clever wordplay to introduce names for a menagerie of animal dads to the preschool crowd.
Although the text inserts a few silly puns, it mostly reads like an enthusiastically delivered list of terms for the 27 different male creatures that frolic, jump and cuddle with their youngsters. The text playfully cautions, “Brace yourself—my dad might RAM you” as a pair of sheep kick up their heels. Other pages show a bee and ant that “DRONE on” and feature words new to young readers’ ears such as TIERCEL, SILVERBACK and COB. They can even choose which BULL to adore most: a giraffe, walrus, moose or alligator. While the information presented will surprise and spark interest in further animal investigations, the illustrations in colored pencil feel mismatched and rather sweet given the content full of plays on words. As in the companion title, I Love Ewe (2013), the final page features pictures and terms for all of the animal papas found within.
While it’s useful for the wide range of animals covered, the disconnect between the occasionally sophisticated text and the slightly saccharine pictures ultimately compromises its success. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 2, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-8027-2824-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Walker
Review Posted Online: March 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Children will enjoy the spirit of the chase (and an easily spotted black cat on each spread) in this pleasant introduction...
When a girl sees a diamond ring fall through a hole in a man’s jacket pocket, she catches it on a bounce and pulls her mom along city streets in an attempt to return it.
There’s a charming counting theme afoot. Four babies and five frisky dogs present obstacles to “one brave girl” in her pursuit of that bouquet-bearing young man. She loses sight of him but makes a deduction and enters a park’s rose garden. She “tiptoes eight soundless steps… // …while the man checks his pockets / nine frantic times.” As the desperate gent “sheds ten small tears,” the girl, hidden behind a hedge, cannily drops the lost ring “right under his nose.” Géser’s digitally augmented, naïve watercolors depict pale, generic vehicles and simple, cartoonish faces. City grays and browns contrast with bursts of red: the girl’s coat, a stop sign, roses and even the young man’s hair. Mission accomplished, the girl leads her mom on once more. In the final double-page spread, she stands in a bakery, holding a cupcake and gazing upward. A fancy three-tiered wedding cake is decorated with roses—and topped with a bride and groom who look an awful lot like the newly engaged couple smiling through the window.
Children will enjoy the spirit of the chase (and an easily spotted black cat on each spread) in this pleasant introduction to courtship conventions. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 14, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-8050-9279-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: March 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2013
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