A swell read for the lighthearted. (Board book. 1-3)
The bunnies that inhabit Boynton’s colorful world put on a musical show for the other animals.
The rabbits have taken over the theater. They dance and sing, bragging about their long ears and twitchy noses for the pigs and chickens in the audience. The rhythmic chorus—“We are ten terrific rabbits and we like to dance and sing. / Ten terrific rabbits. We can do almost anything”—is mighty infectious. The author’s trademark wit and humor are on full display as the other animals dress up like bunnies and join the massive grand finale. The barnyard cast forms a musical troupe that amuses and delights. Adults will appreciate the clever sight gags, and small children will appreciate the tasteful boasting and empowering jingle. While it’s not as complete a vehicle for inculcating emergent language skills as many of Boynton’s other books, there’s no denying it’s got verve.
A swell read for the lighthearted. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-7611-8060-9
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Workman
Review Posted Online: June 30, 2014
Fans of Baby Loves to Rock will get a kick out of this infant’s moves, but the humor is still too adult to pretend this is a...
A baby and a bevy of animals demonstrate a variety of dance moves.
With one sentence per page, the text is a mix of puns, jokes and rhymes that, while clever, will likely go over the heads of core board-book readers: “The apes like to orang-o-tango / and the sloths like to slow dance. // The kangaroos can boogaloo, / and the flamingo can flamenco.” Each critter mentioned is depicted in bright colors dancing in their requisite style against bold backgrounds. The goofy cartoons are not as successful as those in Kirwan’s earlier offering, Baby Loves to Rock (2013), but the tap-dancing woodpecker and the toucan doing the cancan are delightful standouts. As in the first title, a double-page spread appears at three different junctures, asking a variation of “But who loves to boogie?” in a graphic, bold display type floating in a disco setting. On the last two pages, readers learn that “Baby loves to boogie, woogie, / BOOGIE!” and three images of a Caucasian baby, likely the same child in as the companion title, bop across the page.
Fans of Baby Loves to Rock will get a kick out of this infant’s moves, but the humor is still too adult to pretend this is a book for actual babies. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: June 24, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4814-0383-2
Page Count: 30
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: June 9, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
It is lovely to see more and more of Gomi’s work being translated into English, but this offering proves that not all of his...
A mama hen plays a game of hide-and-seek with her two little chicks.
The hatchlings call “Mommy! Mommy!” when they can’t locate her, and she reassuringly appears with the words “Here I am!” with the turn of the page. The first time, their mama is simply in the distance, but the next time, she hides behind a wall before reappearing. This pattern alters as the chicks go on to mistake a fuchsia-colored flower poking out from behind a bush and the scraggly pink coat of a fanged monster protruding from behind some rocks for their mother’s comb. The mother-and-chick reunion takes place on top of a barnyard roof while a happy sun looks on. Gomi uses spare watercolors on white backgrounds, graphically simple shapes and the subtle placement of beaks and eyes to convey lots of action and emotion. Adults should share this title sensitively with their youngsters, since some toddlers may find the pink monster (or is it supposed to be a dog?) a little bit frightening.
It is lovely to see more and more of Gomi’s work being translated into English, but this offering proves that not all of his work has universal appeal. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: May 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4521-0834-6
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: April 9, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2013
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