by Philip Giordano ; illustrated by Philip Giordano ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 4, 2017
A winner.
Lifting flaps reveal the simple geometry underlying the world around us.
This charming and seemingly indestructible board book introduces a variety of basic shapes and relates them to common objects in our homes, yards, and environs. Inquisitive young readers will love the interactive design of this book. When little hands pull the folded flap, a circle becomes a stylized apple, complete with worm, and a plain square becomes an artist’s colorful canvas, replete with possibility. Think of this book as a pop-up book for toddlers. The shapes and concepts start simply and become increasingly complex, continuing with “rectangle,” “triangle,” “star,” and “spiral,” as well as more specialized shapes such as “heart,” “diamond,” “raindrop,” and “rosette”—this last illustrated with a blooming flower. These are followed by composites (a triangle and a rectangle form a birdhouse; circles and a triangle make up a snowman) and groups (three triangles become a fir tree, for example). The text introduces a vocabulary of basic forms, while the simple, elegant illustrations afford caregivers and children an opportunity to identify sharks, fish, birds, kites, and other objects and creatures sure to interest children. Some of the transformations are, perhaps, far-fetched—not everyone might agree that a cow’s muzzle resembles a heart, for instance—but the bright pastel colors and whimsical execution more than compensate. Companion volume Numbers uses the same design principle, but busy compositions skew it toward a slightly older audience.
A winner. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: April 4, 2017
ISBN: 978-2-7459-8173-8
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Twirl/Chronicle
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
Share your opinion of this book
More by Philip Giordano
BOOK REVIEW
by Philip Giordano ; illustrated by Philip Giordano
BOOK REVIEW
by Cristiana Valentini ; illustrated by Philip Giordano
BOOK REVIEW
by Philip Giordano ; illustrated by Philip Giordano
by National Geographic ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 11, 2014
Clear nonfiction for the very young is hard to come by, and it appears that the Look & Learn series may finally be on...
An exploration of the human body through colorful photos.
Every other double-page spread labels the individual parts on one major area: head, torso, back, arm and leg. Ethnically diverse boy-girl pairs serve as models as arrows point to specific features and captions float nearby. While the book usefully mentions rarely depicted body parts, such as eyebrow, armpit and shin, some of the directional arrows are unclear. The arrow pointing at a girl’s shoulder hits her in the upper arm, and the belly button is hard is distinguish from the stomach (both are concealed by shirts). Facts about the human body (“Guess what? You have tiny hairs in your nose that keep out dirt”) appear on alternating spreads along with photos of kids in action. Baby Animals, another title in the Look & Learn series, uses an identical format to introduce readers to seal pups, leopard cubs, elephant calves, ducklings and tadpoles. In both titles, the final spread offers a review of the information and encourages readers to match baby animals to their parents or find body parts on a photo of kids jumping on a trampoline.
Clear nonfiction for the very young is hard to come by, and it appears that the Look & Learn series may finally be on the right track despite earlier titles that were much too conceptual for the audience. (Board book. 18 mos.-3)Pub Date: Feb. 11, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4263-1483-4
Page Count: 24
Publisher: National Geographic
Review Posted Online: April 29, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
Share your opinion of this book
More In The Series
by National Geographic Kids ; illustrated by National Geographic Kids
by Ruth A. Musgrave ; photographed by National Geographic Kids
More by National Geographic
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
by Lee R. Berger ; Marc Aronson ; developed by National Geographic
by Jane Cabrera ; illustrated by Jane Cabrera ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 17, 2017
It’s not exactly original, but the execution, with familiar, appealing Cabrera illustrations, is attractive and perfect for...
This simple board book invites little ones to greet baby farm animals (including frog, bunny, and bee) with their corresponding sounds.
The first double-page spread greets readers with a bright yellow smiling sun and the text “Hello, Sun. / Hello, Day. / Wake up, babies. / Time to play!” Each succeeding spread has a distinct, gently patterned background, with very brief text on the verso (“Hello Puppy! / Woof Woof”). Filling up the recto is a vibrant illustration of the baby animal’s face, wide eyed and smiling, outlined in black. The final spread presents the face of a cute baby with chalky brown-gray skin, bright black eyes, and short black hair: “Goo Goo.” Babies and toddlers will enjoy looking at the baby faces, animals and human, and repeating the sounds. A companion book, Goodnight Bear, has a similar pattern of text and illustrations, though the palette is suitably darker. The moon, surprisingly, has its eyes shut, and succeeding spreads depict an owlet, a baby bat, a baby hedgehog, and other familiar nocturnal baby animals, all wide-awake and smiling. The final spread depicts a cute baby with pale skin, blond hair, and closed eyes.
It’s not exactly original, but the execution, with familiar, appealing Cabrera illustrations, is attractive and perfect for the target audience. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 17, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4998-0430-0
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
Share your opinion of this book
More by Jane Cabrera
BOOK REVIEW
by Jane Cabrera ; illustrated by Jane Cabrera
BOOK REVIEW
by Jane Cabrera ; illustrated by Jane Cabrera
BOOK REVIEW
by Jane Cabrera ; illustrated by Jane Cabrera
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.