Three friends play hide-and-seek on the playground and demonstrate their various locations with preposition words.
Fox counts to 10 while Bear and Owl hide. Fox begins to search and finds Bear “INSIDE” the castle rather than “OUTSIDE”; then together they search for Owl “IN” the tubular slide and “BESIDE” it, ultimately finding their friend “ON” top of the slide. Taking turns as seeker, all three explore a variety of opposing prepositions, including “IN FRONT OF” versus “BEHIND”; “OVER” versus “UNDER”; “BETWEEN” versus “AMONG.” But when Bear takes a turn and looks for his pals “ACROSS the bridge” and “all AROUND the playground” and cannot find them, Fox and Owl emerge to greet their sad and lonely companion with a hug. Simple, childlike, black-outlined drawings with muted hues feature a tree-lined, familiar park playground scene. The basic narrative offers just enough intrigue for toddlers and preschoolers, who will count out loud and spot several hiding places as pointy fox ears are just visible behind a bush or owl peeks out above a tree. Page turns are thoughtfully timed, often occurring in between pairs of opposites, a technique that helps to reinforce the concept and further engagement with the plot.
Interactive and fun, an effortless way to learn new vocabulary. (Picture book. 2-4)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-77138-794-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: June 10, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019
Categories: CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS
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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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This book seeks to use the power of persuasion to vanquish that most formidable of opponents: toddlers.
In this entry in the Big Kid Power series, a little black girl makes no bones about the fact that pacifiers (or “binkies”) are strictly baby territory. When she was little she needed one, but that was then. Whether she’s tired, sad, or hungry, there are other ways of being comforted: hugs and polite requests, for instance. After she gives her binky to a baby and bids it a very clear goodbye, the book ends with a triumphant, “I’M A BIG KID!” Using a striking color combination of orange, brown, and black, van Lieshout keeps her pages bold and bright, complementing the simple vocabulary. Such declarations as, “Do I still have a binky? // NO, BIG KIDS DON’T NEED A BINKY. / NOPE!” leave scant wiggle room for argument. In her author’s note at the end, van Lieshout says that after speaking to many parents about how they helped their kids bid their pacifiers adieu, “many of them had in common…a ritual of some sort.” The ritual here seems to be giving the pacifier away, though it may be missed by many readers. Companion title I Use the Potty uses a similar approach, with a proud, white boy as its guide.
Simple words and big concepts will make this a godsend to parents at their wit's end. (Picture book. 2-4)Pub Date: March 8, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4521-3536-6
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 9, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2016
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