The simple, rhyming text, very large print and crisp, vibrant images make this one an excellent choice for sharing with your...
This fresh interpretation of a classic poem is a charmer.
Ehlert illustrates Fyleman’s simple, well-loved poem with her trademark vibrant collages, in this case, made from string and handmade paper. A single triangle forms the body of each mouse, while a second triangle perches on top to form the head. Add pink circles for ears, bright white rectangles for teeth, more colorful circles for eyes and strings for arms and legs—with knots serving as wrists and ankles—and you’ve got two majorly adorable mice. A consistent black background emphasizes the nighttime setting and allows the textures and colors of the handmade paper figures to really shine. Children will delight in following the mice as they enjoy the run of the house: using art supplies to create their own collages; playing with lipstick, a toothbrush and dental floss; scampering over fruits and vegetables; chowing down on crackers, cupcakes and cereal. They will also be tickled to discover that the narrator of the poem turns out to be none other than a big, grinning cat with a gleam in his eye. No wonder he insists that mice “are rather nice.”
The simple, rhyming text, very large print and crisp, vibrant images make this one an excellent choice for sharing with your favorite group of toddlers or preschoolers. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4424-5684-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 28, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
More kit than story, with some assembly required.
Two outings and a game of hide-and-seek in between add up to a perfect day for Peppa and friends in this four-spread TV-series spinoff.
First Peppa and her bubble-gum–pink family ride to the park (“Vroom!” says little George) for a healthy picnic packed by Daddy Pig. Then it’s home for playtime with Danny Dog and Suzy Sheep, until Grandpa Pig arrives with a boat big enough for all (“Ship ahoy!”). Children can embellish this stripped-down plotline on the foldout playscape attached to the back cover. All of the figures in the flat, very simple illustrations also come as punch-outs on a loose sheet, and there are corresponding slots in the detachable pop-up car and boat. Fans of the British series, which runs on Nick Jr. in the United States, may experience several moments of pleasure before the card-stock vehicles are crushed.
More kit than story, with some assembly required. (sticker sheet) (Pop-up/picture book. 3-4)Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6825-9
Page Count: 8
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Sept. 24, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Crisp and tart by turns, this is one book worth fighting over.
Prepare to savor this title’s original yet familiar feel.
This rhythmic read features a slew of greedy animals, all with their eyes on a prize. A single red apple hangs at the “tip-tippy top” of a tree, poised to fall at any moment. Its precarious position isn’t missed by the hungry animals below, each determined to make the fruit their own. One by one, a different animal expresses their covetous desires in rhyme (“Mmm-mmm, how divine. / When it tumbles to the ground, / it’ll be all mine”). This is followed immediately by different descriptions of how each animal hides. Mouse “zippety-eeked” beneath a leaf to wait, while Hare “hoppety-boinged,” and fox “waggety-dashed.” Such delicious descriptions make this an ideal read-aloud for large groups, while Rohmann’s art plays up the crew’s wild apple-eating fantasies with a colorful combination of stained paper and relief printmaking. For all this, it’s quite satisfying when the fallen fruit finally ends up in the paws of an opossum, willing to share with a worthy worm. This one has all the trappings of a storytime classic—don’t be surprised when young readers eschew its central message and declare this book itself to be unshareable and definitely “mine!” (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Crisp and tart by turns, this is one book worth fighting over. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2023
ISBN: 9780593181669
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Anne Schwartz/Random
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2023
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