Any small irritations will not bother the intended audience—very young children who need a sturdy collection of nursery...
A first introduction to some of the best-known nursery rhymes, some shortened to fit the format.
Rhymes include such standards as “Humpty Dumpty,” “Three Blind Mice,” “Twinkle, Twinkle,” and more. Sturdy board pages and uncluttered illustrations guarantee that this book will hold up to use. Each page has just one rhyme in a large, readable font. As with any abbreviated telling, editorial decisions were necessary to keep some of the verses under eight lines. Presumably adult readers will know to add the verses for pigs, ducks, and horses even though only the sheep verse is included in this version of “Old MacDonald.” Inserting a “filler” verse—“Four, and then three, then two, then one— / Soon all of the five little ducks were gone!”—in the less-familiar “Five Little Ducks” song instead of counting all the ducklings down may present a problem for the uninitiated. A curious illustration decision was made on the “Baa, Baa, Black Sheep” page. While the black sheep is willing to provide three bags full, the wool shown is white, black, and brown. Skin tones are not 100-percent peach, and Little Miss Muffet is actively dark-skinned.
Any small irritations will not bother the intended audience—very young children who need a sturdy collection of nursery rhymes that can be handled and read again and again. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: March 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-58925-550-0
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
Amiable if slight.
In a text that can be sung to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” a young dinosaur plays with other prehistoric friends and gets ready for bed.
In this companion piece to Twinkle, Twinkle Unicorn (2019), each double-page spread features a friendly, green theropod with rosy cheeks watching pink pterosaurs fly, using a sauropod’s tail as a sliding board, and watching volcanoes explode in the night sky. As the sun sets, the dinosaur yawns and heads back home to two larger dinosaurs, one pink with eyelashes and one blue without, who appear to be mama and papa dinosaur respectively (did color stereotyping based on gender exist 65 million years ago? And why isn’t the protagonist dinosaur mauve?). Waring has arguably created the most benign and affable dinosaurs possible, with their perpetual smiles, rounded horns and teeth, oversized eyes, and brightly colored hides. Weighing in at only a slight 16 pages, the book runs through two modified verses of the classic, and the first scans quite fluidly. The second stanza feels a little forced to make it fit into the bedtime theme: “Twinkle, twinkle dinosaur, / the day is done. / It’s time to snore.”
Amiable if slight. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: May 28, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5344-3975-7
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 25, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A satisfying friendship story to share with very young children in the days leading up to Halloween.
This board book twists the traditional “Teeny Tiny” tale into a less-scary Halloween treat.
This version uses a singsong-y rhythm and cadence to tell the story. “In the teeny tiny barn / Of a teeny tiny house... / Lived a teeny tiny ghost / and a teeny tiny mouse.” Of course the ghost (being teeny tiny) is not very frightening. “But the determined little ghost / Let her mighty courage through / And with a teeny tiny breath / She said a teeny tiny: boo.” Spoiler alert: After just seven page turns the ghost and mouse become friends: “And now the teeny tinies play / In the teeny tiny house. / Just a teeny tiny ghost / And her best friend, mouse.” Pumpkins decorate the cover and final spread and illustrations throughout are in autumnal hues. The fairly high-for-the-format word count—19 to 21 words per page—may be more than toddlers will sit still for, but the “teeny tiny” repetition and rhymes will help. The size (just 6 inches square) makes using the book with a group a challenge, but with a lap-sitting child, it’ll be a pleasure.
A satisfying friendship story to share with very young children in the days leading up to Halloween. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 30, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-31848-7
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: April 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
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