Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! A plane! And lots of other things!
This board book explores everything the sky has to offer. From kites to bubbles to rainbows, the atmosphere holds many lovely things, and little readers will get to know many of them with this simple read. At the start of each section, little ones are told to “Look up!” and spot each individual object in the sky. Once it’s been identified, the text gives small supporting details in the following double-page spread (“The wind blows the kite in the air”; “A bubble is round”) before moving on to another aerial object. The pictures are bright and keenly composed, using National Geographic’s trademark straightforward style. The children depicted are all light-skinned. Companion title Peek-a-boo is published concurrently and uses the same narrative structure to introduce little readers to creatures living in the wild. Both books are simple but effective.
A solid introduction to things seen above. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4263-2454-3
Page Count: 24
Publisher: National Geographic Kids
Review Posted Online: Nov. 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Categories: CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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A young girl watches her garden grow.
Though she's a bit older than the typical board-book audience, her self-reliance makes her an appealing character for toddlers struggling to assert their independence. The strategic use of sturdy flaps provides both peekaboo fun and structure to the storyline. “Yellow daisy. / Red rose. / A bud blooms. / [lift flap] A flower grows.” Some of the interactive elements clearly connect objects to one another (shovel, pail), while other pairings review the progress of the blossoming outdoors. The child enjoys the results of her hard work (smelling a flower has never been so sweet) and waters her lush plants with her pint-sized watering can. Varied vocabulary extends the text. “Harvest carrots / . . . squash and peas. / [lift flap] Pollinated by the bees.” Perhaps due to their having been printed on recycled paper with soy inks, the matte sides of the flaps tend to be darker than the rest, which are glossy.
Put on those gardening gloves; the fruits of this labor beckon. (Board book. 18 mos.-3)Pub Date: Jan. 24, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-307-93041-5
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: June 12, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2012
Categories: CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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A little boy takes an active role in recycling and reusing in this lift-the-flap tale.
The boy, along with a couple of young friends, demonstrates cleaning and sorting recyclables, donating unwanted clothes and toys, and reusing other materials for various projects. While this is a noble effort, the rhyming text, which appears on the outside of and under each flap, does not scan well: “Clink, clink, clink. Into each bin– / BOTTLES, / PAPER, / PLASTIC, / TIN.” Some of the concepts above and below each flap have a clear relationship to one another: A large cardboard box is empty above the flap and reused as a toy boat below the flap. Other concepts do not connect quite as well: The plastic (above the flap) and “tin” cans (under the flap) look to be going into the same bin, but the next page shows them carefully sorted into their own separate bins. The cover may also confuse little ones, and a few grown-ups too, since it mostly shows materials to be reused (toys and clothes to be donated), not recycled. The flat, friendly and soft-hued cartoons look to be a mix of digital art over collaged backgrounds of reused materials. Other titles in the Teenie Greenies series, which are printed on recycled paper with soy ink, tackle gardening, composting and transportation alternatives with greater clarity.
A well-meant miss. (Board book. 2-3)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-375-86172-7
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: April 9, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2013
Categories: CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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