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SNOW BUNNY'S CHRISTMAS GIFT

Soft, fluffy, and cute, just like Snow Bunny.

A white rabbit makes hand-knitted Christmas gifts for her friends in this sweet story with foil-embellished illustrations.

Snow Bunny lives in a wintry forest with her friends, Mouse, Fox, and Bear. Snow Bunny stays warm during outdoor activities thanks to her red, hand-knitted cape. In the days before Christmas, the animal friends try sledding, skating, and searching for pine cones, but Mouse, Fox, and Bear get too cold when playing outdoors for long. Snow Bunny finds a coin in the snow, buys yarn, and stays up all night knitting on Christmas Eve. By Christmas morning, she has created a hat for Mouse, a scarf for Fox, and a vest for Bear, which they wear as they gather around an outdoor Christmas tree to light candles with additional animal friends. When her friends tell Snow Bunny they are sorry they don’t have a present for her, she replies that “friendship is the greatest gift of all.” The understated story is calm and sweet, with earnest goodwill and enthusiasm from all the animals. Large-format illustrations portray snowy vistas and pale blue skies, and they incorporate silver foil highlights on each page. The animals are greeting-card–cute, cuddly, and expressive, and of course they all get along and enjoy each other as friends rather than as potential meals.

Soft, fluffy, and cute, just like Snow Bunny. (Picture book. 2-6)

Pub Date: Sept. 22, 2015

ISBN: 978-1-4998-0164-4

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Little Bee Books

Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2015

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LITTLE BLUE TRUCK'S HALLOWEEN

Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes.

A lift-the-flap book gives the littlest trick-or-treaters some practice identifying partygoers under their costumes.

Little Blue Truck and his buddy Toad are off to a party, and they invite readers (and a black cat) along for the ride: “ ‘Beep! Beep! Beep!’ / says Little Blue. / ‘It’s Halloween!’ / You come, too.” As they drive, they are surprised (and joined) by many of their friends in costume. “Who’s that in a tutu / striking a pose / up on the tiniest / tips of her toes? / Under the mask / who do you see?” Lifting the flap unmasks a friend: “ ‘Quack!’ says the duck. / ‘It’s me! It’s me!’ ” The sheep is disguised as a clown, the cow’s a queen, the pig’s a witch, the hen and her chick are pirates, and the horse is a dragon. Not to be left out, Little Blue has a costume, too. The flaps are large and sturdy, and enough of the animals’ characteristic features are visible under and around the costumes that little ones will be able to make successful guesses even on the first reading. Lovely curvy shapes and autumn colors fade to dusky blues as night falls, and children are sure to notice the traditional elements of a Halloween party: apple bobbing, lit jack-o’-lanterns, and punch and treats.

Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes. (Board book. 2-4)

Pub Date: July 5, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-544-77253-3

Page Count: 16

Publisher: HMH Books

Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016

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PEANUT BUTTER & CUPCAKE

Still, preschoolers will likely savor this mouthwatering treatment of a subject that looms large in many early school...

The familiar theme of the challenges facing a new kid in town is given an original treatment by photographer Border in this book of photos of three-dimensional objects in a simple modeled landscape.

Peanut Butter is represented by a slice of white bread spread with the popular condiment. The other characters in the story—a hamburger with a pair of hot dogs in tow, a bowl of alphabet soup, a meatball jumping a rope of spaghetti, a carton of French fries and a pink cupcake—are represented by skillfully crafted models of these foods, anthropomorphized using simple wire construction. Rejected by each character in turn in his search for playmates, Peanut Butter discovers in the end that Jelly is his true match (not Cupcake, as the title suggests), perhaps because she is the only one who looks like him, being a slice of white bread spread with jelly. The friendly foods end up happily playing soccer together. Some parents may have trouble with the unabashedly happy depiction of carbs and American junk food (no carrots or celery sticks in this landscape), and others may find themselves troubled by the implication that friendship across difference is impossible.

Still, preschoolers will likely savor this mouthwatering treatment of a subject that looms large in many early school experiences. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: July 29, 2014

ISBN: 978-0-399-16773-7

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Philomel

Review Posted Online: May 13, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2014

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