Simple enough for very young children but intriguing enough for older preschoolers to return to even past their board-book...
Subtle elements of design are used to introduce more than just basic shapes in this sophisticated board book.
Ten shapes are presented, starting with “diamond” and ending with “circle.” In between are both familiar forms and more-obscure ones: teardrop, parallelogram, stripe, and hexagon. The parallelograms are arranged in an attractive herringbone design, and the teardrops are presented as six-petaled flowers. Rectangles of different sizes are set at an angle. Layered squares encourage readers to study the page to find the basic shape. Intersecting circles are formed by concentric dots. Young children may have trouble identifying the primary shape in these colorful arrays. But on subsequent readings, and after being introduced to the concepts, older toddlers may see the parallelograms and diamonds between the six-pointed stars. The left-hand page of each spread presents a pale outline of the featured shape and its name printed in a shade predominant on the facing design. All are rendered in pastel hues of teal, yellow, pink, and light green, with detailed crosshatching, swirls, and patterning providing a visual treat and more to talk about. The exceptionally thick pages (each a full 1/8 inch thick) and a sturdy binding will help it hold up to repeat reading.
Simple enough for very young children but intriguing enough for older preschoolers to return to even past their board-book days; beautiful for all. (Board book. 1-4)Pub Date: June 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-76012-331-4
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Hardie Grant Egmont
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come.
Little Blue Truck and his pal Toad meet friends old and new on a springtime drive through the country.
This lift-the-flap, interactive entry in the popular Little Blue Truck series lacks the narrative strength and valuable life lessons of the original Little Blue Truck (2008) and its sequel, Little Blue Truck Leads the Way (2009). Both of those books, published for preschoolers rather than toddlers, featured rich storylines, dramatic, kinetic illustrations, and simple but valuable life lessons—the folly of taking oneself too seriously, the importance of friends, and the virtue of taking turns, for example. At about half the length and with half as much text as the aforementioned titles, this volume is a much quicker read. Less a story than a vernal celebration, the book depicts a bucolic drive through farmland and encounters with various animals and their young along the way. Beautifully rendered two-page tableaux teem with butterflies, blossoms, and vibrant pastel, springtime colors. Little Blue greets a sheep standing in the door of a barn: “Yoo-hoo, Sheep! / Beep-beep! / What’s new?” Folding back the durable, card-stock flap reveals the barn’s interior and an adorable set of twin lambs. Encounters with a duck and nine ducklings, a cow with a calf, a pig with 10 (!) piglets, a family of bunnies, and a chicken with a freshly hatched chick provide ample opportunity for counting and vocabulary work.
Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come. (Board book. 1-4)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-544-93809-0
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
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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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