It’s sweet, but it lacks the freshness that would make it stand out.
A mother’s rhymes enumerate the many, varied (sometimes bewildering, sometimes beatific) ways her toddler tot has altered her life.
Looking back she wonders at how she never knew, “that our house could get this messy and LOUD! / Or that you’d be so silly, and giggly, and splashy, and CRASHY!” Bold, oversized lettering emphasizes already extremely effective onomatopoeic language that runs throughout, demonstrating how sounds resonate and dominate in a toddler’s home. McDonnell’s reliably astute ink, brush, and pen illustrations punctuate these rhymes with spirited freeze frames of mother’s mishaps (tub water in the eye, a block underfoot) and gleeful moments of surprise (unexpected fairy wings, glittery artwork, park frolics). Mommy’s red-rosebud mouth gapes, her eyes widen to oversized ovals, and miraculously her buttercup-blonde flip hairdo never changes shape! While perhaps a nod to the timelessness of a mother’s experience with her first baby, the mid-20th-century motif (down to mother’s black cigarette pants and white oxford shirt) and simple, straightforward rhymes leave this picture book feeling dated. One senses that just beyond the washes of gentle blues, pinks, and yellows that fill the background of each spread, just beyond the gauzy ether that spotlights these two familiar cartoonish caricatures, modern mothering scenes tell the same story, sharply, with poignancy—and through a whole spectrum of colors and faces.
It’s sweet, but it lacks the freshness that would make it stand out. (Picture book. 2-4)Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-227105-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 13, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2015
Though its single-minded focus on success offers positive role modeling, it needs to be used with other, more realistic...
A toddler shares his glee at leaving diapers behind.
The book is completely child-focused, without an adult in sight. This youngster's independence influences each aspect of his toileting; he takes himself to the pot, and he uses a step stool to reach the sink to wash his hands after. There's no indication that any accidents may occur. The boy boasts, “When it's time, I know.” Brisk, rhyming phrases miss the mark. “Everyone uses the potty, / like me and Daddy and Mommy. / It's potty time, hooray! / I'm a big kid today.” With a little button nose and short spiky hair, the Caucasian tot is appealing. His favorite teddy bear plays the role of a loyal companion and even sits on his own potty just like the child. A die-cut–framed, battery-operated button (“flush me!”) triggers sound effects. Adults looking for a straightforward celebration of this milestone will gravitate toward this short selection, but there's no hint of the inevitable missteps young children face during the process.
Though its single-minded focus on success offers positive role modeling, it needs to be used with other, more realistic titles (and lots of patience). (Board book. 2-3)Pub Date: May 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-545-35080-8
Page Count: 10
Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 29, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A fun paean to fathers willing to go the extra mile for their nature-loving kids.
Dendrophilia is the name of the game in this tale of a patriarch emulating his leafy neighbors.
When Dad finds Madeleine imitating a tree, he asks why. “Because a tree gets to stay outside all day long!” the child explains. After Madeleine begs Dad to join in, he acquiesces, but “only for a minute!” Trouble is, Dad is a particularly convincing tree. First a baby owl falls asleep on his shoulder, and then a robin makes a nest in his hair. Soon Dad is covered in animals, getting hit by kites, becoming soaked in the rain, and standing outside in the dark. Each provocation, however, is met with Madeleine’s assurance that trees don’t mind these trivialities. And when it’s time to go inside, the child agrees, “We definitely are not trees. But that’s OK.” After all, they got to be outside all day! Agee eschews his usual penchant for peculiarities with this sweet tale. Dad’s the straight man here, and Agee is unafraid to have him deadpan a look right at viewers when situations become particularly wacky. Accompanied by textured, collagelike visuals, this is an amusing little ode to the extent to which dads sometimes go above and beyond. Madeleine and Dad are light-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A fun paean to fathers willing to go the extra mile for their nature-loving kids. (Picture book. 2-4)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9780593531372
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Rocky Pond Books/Penguin
Review Posted Online: March 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2023
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