One doggone cute book!
Discover some exciting dog tales—or rather, tails—in this interactive board book.
New and future readers will meet a bevy of doggies as they figure out which tail belongs to which canine. The dog on the cover will have to share, as they aren’t given their own. Each clue is presented in a formulaic text block: “Don’t mix up my puppy! Her tail is spotted and dotted.” “Don’t mix up my puppy! His tail is black and velvety.” Readers are then tasked with turning a blue wheel in the upper right-hand corner of the page to find the correct tail—although once you’ve found the first, the others appear in order when the wheel is turned clockwise. The gimmick of the wheel relies on color and texture, with each tail made of furry material. The back of the wheel features images of the dogs, but these doesn’t align with the correct answers. The five internal dogs are identified on the back of the book—a silky terrier, poodle, Irish setter, dachshund, and Dalmatian, but the cover dog (which may be a King Charles spaniel) is never identified. The Irish setter tail makes a good pairing for the cover, however, so each canine looks complete. The book is charming, and the illustrations are delightful. The wheel’s solid construction assures that this one will survive many spins before retirement.
One doggone cute book! (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 17, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-66435-052-6
Page Count: 10
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: Nov. 28, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character.
One of Boynton's signature characters celebrates Halloween.
It's Halloween time, and Pookie the pig is delighted. Mom helps the little porker pick out the perfect Halloween costume, a process that spans the entire board book. Using an abcb rhyme scheme, Boynton dresses Pookie in a series of cheerful costumes, including a dragon, a bunny, and even a caped superhero. Pookie eventually settles on the holiday classic, a ghost, by way of a bedsheet. Boynton sprinkles in amusing asides to her stanzas as Pookie offers costume commentary ("It's itchy"; "It's hot"; "I feel silly"). Little readers will enjoy the notion of transforming themselves with their own Halloween costumes while reading this book, and a few parents may get some ideas as well. Boynton's clean, sharp illustrations are as good as ever. This is Pookie's first holiday title, but readers will surely welcome more.
A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: July 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-553-51233-5
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Robin Corey/Random
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
An excellent, rounded effort from a creator who knows how to deliver.
The farmyard's chickens experience Halloween.
A round, full moon shines in the sky, and the chickens of Boynton's barnyard are feeling “nervous.” Pumpkins shine “with flickering eyes,” witches and wizards wander the pastures, and one chicken has seen “a mouse of enormous size.” It’s Halloween night, and readers will delight as the chickens huddle together and try to figure out what's going on. All ends well, of course, and in Boynton's trademark silly style. (It’s really quite remarkable how her ranks of white, yellow-beaked chickens evoke rows of candy corn.) At this point parents and children know what they're in for when they pick up a book by the prolific author, and she doesn't disappoint here. The chickens are silly, the pigs are cute, and the coloring and illustrations evoke a warmth that little ones wary of Halloween will appreciate. For children leery of the ghouls and goblins lurking in the holiday's iconography, this is a perfect antidote, emphasizing all the fun Halloween has to offer.
An excellent, rounded effort from a creator who knows how to deliver. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Aug. 23, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-7611-9300-5
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Workman
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
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