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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Perfect for Valentine’s Day, but the syrupy sweetness will cloy after the holiday.
Animal parents declare their love for their offspring in alphabetical order.
Each page displays an enormous capital letter, one line of verse with the keyword capitalized, and a loving nonhuman parent gazing adoringly at their baby. “A is for Always. I always love you more. / B is for Butterfly kisses. It’s you that I adore.” While not named or labelled as such, the A is also for an alligator and its hatchling and B is for a butterfly and a butterfly child (not a caterpillar—biology is not the aim of this title) interacting in some way with the said letter. For E there are an elephant and a calf; U features a unicorn and foal; and X, keyed to the last letter of the animal’s name, corresponds to a fox and three pups. The final double-page spread shows all the featured creatures and their babies as the last line declares: “Baby, I love you from A to Z!” The verse is standard fare and appropriately sentimental. The art is cartoony-cute and populated by suitably loving critters on solid backgrounds. Hearts accent each scene, but the theme of the project is never in any doubt.
Perfect for Valentine’s Day, but the syrupy sweetness will cloy after the holiday. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-7282-2095-6
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2021
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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