A sophisticated yet appropriately simple design and appealing illustrations make this one a good choice for caregivers...
An interactive book of numbers features numerals one through five and an accompanying cast of zoo animals.
Designed for little hands, this offering boasts a die-cut handle and five tabs for easy carrying and turning of pages, most of which incorporate either interesting textures or flaps. Each left-hand page presents an Arabic numeral and its name spelled out beneath it against a mostly white background. On each right-hand page, readers will find a corresponding number of animals at play—with numbered bubbles next to each one for help in counting—and an invitation to interact. For instance, “2 spotted giraffes” invite readers to “stand up tall,” while “5 peek-a-boo monkeys” ask tots to “wave hello!” The final pages bring together all the zoo animals, asking readers to choose their favorites. The illustrations present cheerful, friendly-looking animals appearing against relatively simple backdrops while incorporating some interactivity with textures and a nifty peekaboo flap to hide the smiling monkeys.
A sophisticated yet appropriately simple design and appealing illustrations make this one a good choice for caregivers looking to introduce numbers and counting in an entertaining and interactive environment. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: May 26, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-545-79790-0
Page Count: 10
Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2015
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A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character.
One of Boynton's signature characters celebrates Halloween.
It's Halloween time, and Pookie the pig is delighted. Mom helps the little porker pick out the perfect Halloween costume, a process that spans the entire board book. Using an abcb rhyme scheme, Boynton dresses Pookie in a series of cheerful costumes, including a dragon, a bunny, and even a caped superhero. Pookie eventually settles on the holiday classic, a ghost, by way of a bedsheet. Boynton sprinkles in amusing asides to her stanzas as Pookie offers costume commentary ("It's itchy"; "It's hot"; "I feel silly"). Little readers will enjoy the notion of transforming themselves with their own Halloween costumes while reading this book, and a few parents may get some ideas as well. Boynton's clean, sharp illustrations are as good as ever. This is Pookie's first holiday title, but readers will surely welcome more.
A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: July 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-553-51233-5
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Robin Corey/Random
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
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BOOK REVIEW
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An upbeat early book on feelings with a simple storyline that little ones will respond to.
This simplified version of Diesen and Hanna’s The Pout-Pout Fish (2008) is appropriate for babies and toddlers.
Brief, rhyming text tells the story of a sullen fish cheered up with a kiss. A little pink sea creature pokes his head out of a hole in the sea bottom to give the gloomy fish some advice: “Smile, Mr. Fish! / You look so down // With your glum-glum face / And your pout-pout frown.” He explains that there’s no reason to be worried, scared, sad or mad and concludes: “How about a smooch? / And a cheer-up wish? // Now you look happy: / What a smile, Mr. Fish!” Simple and sweet, this tale offers the lesson that sometimes, all that’s needed for a turnaround in mood is some cheer and encouragement to change our perspective. The clean, uncluttered illustrations are kept simple, except for the pout-pout fish’s features, which are delightfully expressive. Little ones will easily recognize and likely try to copy the sad, scared and angry looks that cross the fish’s face.
An upbeat early book on feelings with a simple storyline that little ones will respond to. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-374-37084-8
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
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