Birds and opposites converge in this book for budding ornithologists.
Created digitally, the birds’ portraits are accurate and even elegant, but they never achieve the feel of a bird about to take wing. While a momma swallow swooping toward chicks or a close-up of robins in a nest stand out for their robust scenery and hints of motion, the majority of the double-page spreads feel as flat and posed as a museum diorama. As a concept book, it’s quite serviceable. While a few of the 10 pairings flop—its “FAST” falcon appears as static as its “SLOW” heron companion—most, such as a “FULL” feeder packed with seeds and feasting birds adjacent to a forlorn “EMPTY” feeder, are clear and comprehensible. Problematically, the brief preambles that introduce each spread are drably uninteresting, and nearly all are sentence fragments that are clunky when read aloud. On the final page, small labeled bird portraits, each with a scannable QR code, link readers to a variety of calls with a free app download. Avid birders might appreciate hearing these songs, though having them clustered at the end rather than integrated throughout the book requires fiddly page flips. Colorful tabs on the right margins labeling the opposites act as an index.
Opposites are adequately covered, but while this ambitious board book aims high, it never quite soars . (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: March 27, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-943645-45-9
Page Count: 23
Publisher: Cornell Lab Publishing Group
Review Posted Online: March 27, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
Categories: CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS
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An interactive egg hunt with turning-wheel and lift-the-flap elements.
This board book begins by directing readers to find the hidden eggs. Each wheel—there are four in all set into the interior pages—has several different eggs on it, and turning it reveals an egg in a little die-cut window. Spinning it further hides the egg behind one of two lift-the-flap panels—two baskets, for example—and readers must guess behind which they’ll find the egg they have chosen to track. A diagram on the back provides instructions for use, likely more helpful to caregivers than to little ones. There is no narrative in this book; it’s simply page after page of different directives along the lines of “Guess which door!” As a result, the focus is really on manipulatives and the illustrations. Fortunately, Kirwan’s spring-themed artwork is gorgeous. The backdrop of each page is flower- and leaf-themed with warm spring hues, echoing the artwork of Eastern European hand-stenciled Easter eggs, two of which appear at the end of the book. The animals, like the smiling snail and mischievous mice, are reminiscent of classic European fairy-tale creatures. The only human in the book is a dark-skinned child with tight, curly hair. The moveable pieces largely work, though at times the necessary white space under the flaps interrupts the illustration awkwardly, as when the child’s hands suddenly develop large oval holes if the spinner is not in the correct position. Overall, it’s more game than book.
There is no real story, but the moving parts are fun, and the illustrations are beautiful. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4521-7457-0
Page Count: 10
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 18, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2020
Categories: CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS
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The latest addition to the World of Eric Carle is proof that the Wilder Award–winning picture-book creator knows what appeals to children.
This board book is both developmentally appropriate and aesthetically pleasing—perfect for toddlers. In a sturdy, oversize (10 1/2 inches square) format, Carle recycles iconic images from his vast canon to introduce shapes, colors, numbers, animals, and sounds. The flower on the cover is almost (but not quite) identical to the flower that grows from The Tiny Seed (1970). Seeing the animals throughout the pages is like recognizing old friends. But Carle and the book’s designer, Hannah Frece, put these familiar images to fresh uses to create a logical, accessible, and harmonious concept book. Although billed as a “busy book,” it is not hyperactive, using just five or six images per spread. From the mirror that lights up the sun on the cover to the touch-and-feel inserts on the page about animals to the single flap that hides a mouse from a cat, the tactile elements have been chosen with intention instead of just as gimmicks. On other pages, foils and textures are subtle, with many barely raised images that invite tracing.
A satisfying package that will indeed keep toddlers busy—exemplary. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Dec. 15, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4814-5791-0
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
Categories: CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS
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