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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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NOISY PETS PEEKABOO!

A colorfully rambunctious book to expand a little one’s vocabulary and vocal stylings.

Pets spring to life in a noisy lift-the-flap book.

Little readers love animals, and this large board book is dedicated to teaching basic attributes of the most common animals in baby literature. “Cats love to climb. They sleep everywhere.” Pictured alongside the basic text are photos of real kitties digitally collaged into illustrated backgrounds. Each double-page spread features a flap on the right side. When little ones lift the flap, a sensor sets off the book’s interior speaker. The sounds are all of good quality, and the battery is long-lasting. Adults may get a little worn down by repeated barking, meowing, and tweeting, but the target audience will adore it. A concurrently published title, Noisy Playhouse Peekaboo!, uses the same structure to explore the common items found in a house and boasts the sounds of a washing machine, kitchen clock, and radio. Both books are sturdily bound with securely fixed flaps that should stand up to all but the mightiest of toddlers. The illustrations use rounded shapes and a primary color palette to pull young readers in.

A colorfully rambunctious book to expand a little one’s vocabulary and vocal stylings. (Board book. 1-2)

Pub Date: April 5, 2016

ISBN: 978-1-4654-4407-3

Page Count: 12

Publisher: DK Publishing

Review Posted Online: April 12, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016

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IN THE WOODS

From the Push Puzzles series

A cute exercise for little readers learning to play with composition and work on small-motor function.

Little readers explore the woods.

This board book is really a series of sliding puzzles, with each double-page spread featuring a completed picture on the left and a slide puzzle on the facing page. Little readers slide movable panels to reveal foxes, a hedgehog, an owl, and a deer. The puzzle image is slightly different from the clue image, with the animals opening their eyes or being joined by a tinier critter, but little readers should be able to integrate the differences without too much trouble. The smoothly sliding puzzles are very basic, with three rows each of panels that slide aside or up and down. Companion title On the Farm uses the same format and slide-puzzle feature with barnyard animals. The Woods title is a bit more visually appealing, with deep blues and oranges as opposed to Farm’s pinks, yellows, and browns. The board book is sturdily built, so even the most aggressive of readers will have a hard time pushing the sliding parts past their limits.

A cute exercise for little readers learning to play with composition and work on small-motor function. (Board book. 1-2)

Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016

ISBN: 978-1-4998-0349-5

Page Count: 10

Publisher: Little Bee Books

Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017

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