The generous use of bright full-color photos of fuzzy ducklings, kittens, and flowers in this concept book will appeal to babies, but the fussy layout, vocabulary, and concepts are not very accessible to the young. A typical spread shows objects in thin frames of color; in the one labeled ``Color in Nature,'' fish swim beyond their borders into autumn leaves, and the parrots look ready to eat the butterflies. Size is not taken into consideration as part of perceptual realism—a flower looks as large as the goose. Flather provides marvelous woodcut-like endpapers; on these are tiny framed objects that also appear in the corners of every spread. The color reproduction is vivid if inaccurate: ``orange mandarin'' and ``yellow dandelion'' appear side by side as the same color. ``Animal Moves,'' introduces vocabulary: fluttering butterfly, waddling ducks, etc., but these are still photos, making the action word useless. ``Get Together'' offers opportunities for caregivers and babies to interact, perhaps with difficulty, e.g., few babies can categorize a wild rose and an allium as flowers, or butterflies and beetles as insects. There is a need for concept books for babies, but this does not meet the high standards set by Tana Hoban (Spirals, Curves, Fanshapes and Lines, 1992, etc.) and others. (Nonfiction. 3-7)
Pub Date: May 1, 1995
ISBN: 0-7894-0003-0
Page Count: 21
Publisher: DK Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1995
A disappointing follow-up.
Inventor Izzy Gizmo is back in this sequel to her eponymous debut (2017).
While busily inventing one day, Izzy receives an invitation from the Genius Guild to their annual convention. Though Izzy’s “inventions…don’t always work,” Grandpa (apparently her sole caregiver) encourages her to go. The next day they undertake a long journey “over fields, hills, and waves” and “mile after mile” to isolated Technoff Isle. There, Izzy finds she must compete against four other kids to create the most impressive machine. The colorful, detail-rich illustrations chronicle how poor Izzy is thwarted at every turn by Abi von Lavish, a Veruca Salt–esque character who takes all the supplies for herself. But when Abi abandons her project, Izzy salvages the pieces and decides to take Grandpa’s advice to create a machine that “can really be put to good use.” A frustrated Izzy’s impatience with a friend almost foils her chance at the prize, but all’s well that ends well. There’s much to like: Brown-skinned inventor girl Izzy is an appealing character, it’s great to see a nurturing brown-skinned male caregiver, the idea of an “Invention Convention” is fun, and a sustainable-energy invention is laudable. However, these elements don’t make up for rhymes that often feel forced and a lackluster story.
A disappointing follow-up. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-68263-164-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2020
A beautifully illustrated, peaceful song of family, community, and new birth. (Picture book. 3-7)
A celebration of colors through a full cycle of the seasons.
This rhyming, lyrical story opens with a blue-eyed, dark-skinned mother and child enjoying the yellow flowers in a grassy green meadow with the father riding horseback nearby and a lighthouse on the coast in the background. The text accompanying each seasonal sequence includes a refrain that focuses on the colors: “yellow on green” for springtime. The rhythmic text practically sings of the shifting seasons, as spring turns to summer, summer to fall, and so on, while the matte illustrations reveal the child’s curiosity, the family’s bonds, and the mother’s growing roundness as they all prepare for the birth of a baby. A summer trip to the beach brings “turquoise, teal, and blue on green”; “toasty and warm” “cinnamon, almond, and brown on green” abound in fall; winter comes with “gray and taupe and white on green”; and spring sees the addition of a new family member. Since every season includes green, it remains a touchpoint and a refrain throughout. Insects and animals, including the family dog, show up on most pages, giving detail-oriented readers lots to explore. Sala’s intentional inclusion of diversity in this rural community, as folks gather for activities and events, offers mirrors for many kinds of readers and emphasizes the richness of cross-cultural sharing.
A beautifully illustrated, peaceful song of family, community, and new birth. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 17, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4814-6278-5
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Nov. 9, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2019
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