Little bears who are afraid of storms or who have trouble sleeping will want to cuddle up with these five friends.
Bouncy rhyming couplets tell the story of five bears and their bedtime routine.
Big Brown Bear is the first to climb into bed, but he is soon joined by four little bears: Yellow, Fuzzy, Calico and Floppy. “Out goes the light! / It’s cozy in there. / Five warm beds / hold five tired bears.” But the peace is soon shattered by the sounds of a storm that scares the little ones out of their beds and into the safe, snuggly bed of Big Brown Bear. He knows just what to do: read a story “about three bears / and a pesky girl / with golden hair.” Soft acrylics in gentle colors complement this bedtime story that ends just where any good bedtime story should—with everyone snoring. Though the rhymes rely on the "there-bear" combination too often, this will be a great story for new readers who want to practice their skills by reading aloud to their younger siblings. Easy to read and a breeze to memorize, these little bears will soon be part of many a bedtime routine.
Little bears who are afraid of storms or who have trouble sleeping will want to cuddle up with these five friends. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Aug. 14, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-7636-5338-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: June 19, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2012
Parents of toddlers starting school or day care should seek separation-anxiety remedies elsewhere, and fans of the original...
A sweetened, condensed version of the best-selling picture book, The Kissing Hand.
As in the original, Chester Raccoon is nervous about attending Owl’s night school (raccoons are nocturnal). His mom kisses him on the paw and reminds him, “With a Kissing Hand… / We’ll never be apart.” The text boils the story down to its key elements, causing this version to feel rushed. Gone is the list of fun things Chester will get to do at school. Fans of the original may be disappointed that this board edition uses a different illustrator. Gibson’s work is equally sentimental, but her renderings are stiff and flat in comparison to the watercolors of Harper and Leak. Very young readers will probably not understand that Owl’s tree, filled with opossums, a squirrel, a chipmunk and others, is supposed to be a school.
Parents of toddlers starting school or day care should seek separation-anxiety remedies elsewhere, and fans of the original shouldn’t look to this version as replacement for their page-worn copies. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: April 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-933718-77-4
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Tanglewood Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
For toddlers unafraid of typical Halloween imagery.
A troop of cats traverse a spooky landscape as they make their way to a party hosted by ghosts.
Each double-page spread shows the felines’ encounters with the likes of an owl, jack-o’-lanterns or a bat. One or two of these creepy meetings may be too abstract for the youngest readers, as the cats hear eerie noises with no discernible source on the page. The text, which consists of one rhyming couplet per scene, mostly scans despite a couple of wobbles: “Five black cats get a bit of a scare / As the flip-flapping wings of a bat fill the air.” The sleek, slightly retro art, likely created using a computer, depicts the cats cavorting at night through a shadowy cityscape, the countryside and a haunted house; they may scare some toddlers and delight others. A brighter color palette would have given the project a friendlier, more universal appeal. Luckily, the well-lit, final party scene provides a playful conclusion.
For toddlers unafraid of typical Halloween imagery. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-58925-611-8
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: Sept. 24, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2014
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