Whimsical yet satisfying, this book will have even the most down-in-the-dumps fans of musical children’s media dancing along.
The doyenne of children’s rhyming texts gives listeners of all ages a musical collection accompanied by her signature animal performers.
Each of the 11 songs is given three different treatments: a few pages with words to read and pictures to enjoy, the accompanying sheet music for budding musicians, and a CD with bouncy, cheery songs sure to get little bodies moving. A star-studded cast including Samuel L. Jackson, “Weird Al” Yankovic, and Laura Linney perform, creating a musical compilation perfectly appropriate for the youngest listeners and also remarkably aesthetically pleasing for parents and caregivers. Songs range from jazzy to folky to electronic, with a full orchestra behind. Boynton’s expressive animal characters are in full force here, with a rollerblading robot, worried hippos rushing around Manhattan, and a charmingly nerdy T. Rex in need of a self-esteem boost. The text is suited more for singing aloud than reading aloud, but any household with a CD player could find something to love.
Whimsical yet satisfying, this book will have even the most down-in-the-dumps fans of musical children’s media dancing along. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7611-8992-3
Page Count: 72
Publisher: Workman
Review Posted Online: Aug. 6, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A serviceable exploration of the animal kingdom.
Little ones learn about sea life.
Animals found under the sea are the focus of this board book. An abcb rhyme scheme is employed to tell little readers about sea turtles, great white sharks (which smile benevolently if toothily), seals, blue whales, and sea horses. Each animal is discussed in two double-page spreads that offer basic facts: sea turtles lay their eggs on beaches; great whites are white only on their bellies; blue whales eat “tiny creatures.” Some facts are impenetrable and even inaccurate: of the seal, the text claims a “deep-sea diving suit of blubber keeps this swimmer dry”; the blue whale is as “big as any jumbo jet.” The illustrations feature smiling animals colored with deep hues that evoke the depths of their environment. The final page of the board book boasts further facts about each creature featured. Similar titles Forest Folk and Sky Guys are concurrently published, introducing little readers to forest critters and winged beasts respectively, using the same abcb format and design. While the graphics in each are appealing, the texts leave much to be desired.
A serviceable exploration of the animal kingdom. (Board book. 2-3)Pub Date: March 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-908985-86-6
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Button Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 10, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
Skimpy with just six spreads but, like its companions, a simple, serene seasonal posy.
Carter completes his round of seasonal tributes with pop-up sprays of luscious-looking small fruits, garden bounty, and bright flowers.
As before, the locale is a generalized western United States, and both early- and late-season flora and foliage are on display in the same scenes. Along with lots of labels for the neatly limned animals and vegetation in each broad, idyllic landscape—from a “cedar waxwing” nibbling on a “cherry” to the marbled-paper “chickens” pecking beneath a tree heavy with ripe apples—he adds leading questions (“Who eats the flowers?” “Who looks like a stick?”) to invite closer looks. Frisky “chipmunks” are named in the first tableau, then visible without an identifier in each of the following five for younger viewers to point out. Highlighted by a spiraling cucumber vine that turns the vegetable garden into a convincing tangle, the pop-ups are simple and (relatively) sturdy but rear gracefully to surprising heights considering the volume’s small trim size.
Skimpy with just six spreads but, like its companions, a simple, serene seasonal posy. (Informational pop-up picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: April 24, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4197-2832-7
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Abrams Appleseed
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2018
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