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GETTING DRESSED

Sweet illustrations and efficient text deftly reinforce early learning concepts.

Young children select seasonally appropriate clothing in this lift-the-flap board book. With both written and illustrated context clues, readers are encouraged to predict what clothes the depicted children will wear. Each layout features several different pieces of clothing and accessories along with a flap on which a child looks out the window, ready to get dressed. The window scene gives clues about the weather outside, and beneath the flap, the fully clothed child enjoys the outdoors. Oud introduces weather, seasons, clothing, colors, and, perhaps most skillfully, she naturally encourages young readers to make predictions about the story. All of the seasons include specific text about each outdoor activity except for summer. This means that readers might think a dress, for example, is an appropriate choice until they see that Mika is swimming. Oud’s figures are boldly outlined in black with soft colors. The pale pastel palette ties each layout together into a cohesive whole, culminating in a group birthday party. Rafi’s walk through the rain shows movement in the splashed puddle droplets, his windblown hair, and a flick of his dog’s tail. There are lovely details in the print on the bathing suits and the plaid of the dress shirt. Each child is drawn with different colored skin, from Tom’s dark brown to Liv’s peach tones. Sweet illustrations and efficient text deftly reinforce early learning concepts. (Board book. 18 mos.-2)

Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-60537-564-9

Page Count: 10

Publisher: Clavis

Review Posted Online: Dec. 24, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2021

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HOP! HOP!

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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CRUNCH! MUNCH! BUNNY

Sounds like a winner, though the animal chorus is a bit thin.

Bunny hunts for carrots but finds noisy animal babies behind each flap instead.

“Bunny hops out of her burrow, / she’s looking for carrots to eat. / Can you help this fluffy friend / find a tasty treat?” The baaas, quacks, chirps, and horsey clip-clopping—activated by light as each of the first four big, shaped flaps lift—are gratifyingly loud and clear. All of the animal figures in the bright color pictures are intensely cute plush toys inserted into simple outdoorsy mixes of painted greenery and photographed flowers and bugs. Even the heaped carrots hiding behind the fifth and final flap are soft and fuzzy, though you’d never know that from the sound as Bunny hops on them (with a really loud boing) and chows down with crunches so comically amplified and rapid that caregivers too will laugh (at least the first dozen or so go-rounds). As no pressing of buttons is required to cue the sound effects, Bunny’s miniodyssey is suited to sharing at a slight remove with groups of toddlers as well as one-on-one. Batteries are replaceable, and there is (thankfully) an on-off switch on the rear cover.

Sounds like a winner, though the animal chorus is a bit thin. (Novelty board book. 18 mos.-2)

Pub Date: Jan. 8, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-4654-7853-5

Page Count: 12

Publisher: DK Publishing

Review Posted Online: Dec. 15, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2019

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