Who knew a tutu-clad clan could have so much fun?
Under the guise of counting from one to 10, exuberant animals express their love for tutus.
A goofy-looking penguin declares its love for the pink tutu around its waist. Soon other animals join in: a bear, in a double-tiered purple tutu; a bug—in a “teeny tiny tutu,” of course; a toucan; a gnu—“who knew?”; two tunas; a ewe; an elephant; and a crocodile. But this is much more than a counting book; it is a rollicking tutu lovefest expressed with plenty of alliteration, rhythm, and, most especially, a clever play on homophones: “ ‘I know a ewe with a new tutu.’ / ‘You do?’ / ‘I do.’ / ‘Woo-hoo!’ / ‘Yodel-lay-hee-EWE!’ ” And that’s not all; there’s even a little sharing thrown in for good measure when the elephant reveals “I wish I had a tutu too,” and the crocodile responds with “I have TWO tutus! I can share my blue tutu!” With 10 creatures now in tutus, “ENOUGH with the tutu talk already. It’s time to… / DANCE!” What fun, and then: “Phew.” Burach’s bright cartoons are whimsical and humorous, the animals’ faces brimming with expression. Large, pink numerals appear on recto in each spread that introduces a new number while on verso they are spelled out in pink capital letters.
Who knew a tutu-clad clan could have so much fun? (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: March 3, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-338-50427-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
Vibrant visuals cannot make up for a potty book that just doesn’t rate. No, Pea, No! (Picture book. 2-4)
A single pea pushes himself to finish a race in this punny potty metaphor.
Pea Junior hasn’t time to say hello. Instead it’s time to “Go! Go! Go! GO!” as he dashes forward along the winding, yellow stripe. All his training is paying off, and he’s ignoring distractions on every corner. Pushing through doubts, at last he arrives at the finish line, and readers learn that in truth this was actually a run for the bathroom. While parents may be able to connect Pea’s helter-skelter sprint with a small child’s potty dash, many toddlers will be wondering why he has to wash his hands after his marathon. The connection between running and peeing is tenuous at best, for while readers see Pea remembering his physical-fitness training, at no time do they see anyone sitting on a potty. Questionable scansion and rhymes also mar the read (“Pea wants to give up / and say, ‘Forget it, I quit.’ / But if he does that, / he will really regret it”). The art is the true draw here, remaining upbeat and jolly every step of the race. The inclusion of star stickers and a potty chart for marking progress gears this to individual rather than library use.
Vibrant visuals cannot make up for a potty book that just doesn’t rate. No, Pea, No! (Picture book. 2-4)Pub Date: April 28, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7624-5678-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Running Press Kids
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2015
A surprisingly good choice for parents who are more familiar with Star Wars than Goodnight Moon.
Apparently you’re never too young for Star Wars.
Adult fans of Star Wars who are now parents (and grandparents) can introduce the toddlers in their lives to the iconic space adventure. Previously, the Wang twins reduced such classics as Jane Eyre, Moby-Dick, and Pride and Prejudice to 12 board-book pages. Those condensations were amusing for literary adults, but they missed the mark for toddlers. Their light-speed retellings of the first three Star Wars movies (by date of release) are more successful. The Wang brothers sum up George Lucas' 1977 121-minute movie in just 12 words: “princess / trouble / boy / learn / captain / space / help / garbage / swing / duel / fly / heroes.” They make equally succinct word choices for The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, which publish simultaneously. The visuals are strong, and the story is action-based, so even young children can tell that Darth Vader is a bad guy and storm troopers spell “trouble” for Princess Leia. The characters are here in felted force, in settings that replicate the movie sets. The felties are surprisingly detailed. A light-saber fight scene in each of the three books will guarantee the attention of active toddlers.
A surprisingly good choice for parents who are more familiar with Star Wars than Goodnight Moon. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: March 31, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4521-3393-5
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2015
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