The idea for this book is just right for the board-book set, but the art may prove too abstract for youngsters still...
A trip to the local farmers market provides the ingredients for a feast.
“To market, / to market, / we are on our way. // So many groceries to find, / on this warm sunny day!” The rest of the rhymed verse takes readers through a shopping excursion to buy eggs, cheese, veggies and more, to the kitchen to prepare them and, finally, to an impressive table covered with food on the final two pages. While Page’s art is graphically interesting, with boldly outlined shapes representing a variety of provisions against backgrounds with subtle patterns, some of the images may not read as food to the typical board-book readers, who are still learning to identify edibles. For example, a hunk of Swiss cheese is rendered with vertical, black lines running down one side, and pea pods are shaped like diamonds; a couple of vegetables and fruits may prove unrecognizable even to adults. The verse cleverly uses the first line and meter of the traditional rhyme “To Market, To Market,” but several of the lines don’t scan.
The idea for this book is just right for the board-book set, but the art may prove too abstract for youngsters still learning to connect what they find on their plates to what they see on the page. (Board book. 18 mos.-3)Pub Date: March 4, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4521-1834-5
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: March 2, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
An effervescent celebration of play in the early years.
As with Spanyol’s stellar Clive books, Rosa’s favorite activities buck gender stereotypes.
The toddler races toy cars, jumps monster trucks, and builds a car out of a cardboard box with her buddies in what looks like a day care or preschool setting. Spanyol’s childlike lines, soft palette, and chunky figures are as cheerful as ever. The text is mostly straightforward, simple narration peppered with exclamations from Rosa and her chums: “Rosa and Marcel play in the sandpit. ‘Dig-a-dig, dig-a-dig, scoop!’ sings Rosa.” Rosa has brown skin and black, curly hair, and she wears bright yellow eyeglasses. Her friends include Samira, who uses a wheelchair and is likely of South Asian descent; Mustafa, who appears black; Biba, who has light-brown skin and straight, black hair; and Sarah and Marcel, who both present white. Three other equally charming titles accompany this offering. In Rosa and Her Dinosaurs, the heroine dons a purple dress and plays with a collection of toy dinosaurs. Rosa and her buds (all wearing helmets) roll through the pages of Rosa Rides Her Scooter. And in Rosa Plays Ball, Rosa pushes a cart with various kinds of balls to toss about with her friends outside.
An effervescent celebration of play in the early years. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-78628-125-8
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Child's Play
Review Posted Online: Dec. 4, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A fun but inessential novelty, as much toy as book.
A familiar song repackaged as a board book doubles as a finger puppet.
Many a caregiver has sung this refrain to a newborn or toddler, ignoring the decidedly sad lyrics of the original. Magsamen lays claim and sweetens it up. She uses only the chorus and changes the last line to “I’ll give you lots of hugs… / and kisses every day” instead of the expected “Please don’t take my sunshine away.” Her cheery artwork, reminiscent of applique, recalls the song’s country-music roots and is anything but sad. The pages are decorated with hearts and cuddly-looking caregiver-child animal pairs—foxes, skunks with sunny yellow umbrellas, bunnies, raccoons, and squirrels. The thick, heart-shaped pages include a circular die-cut hole through which readers might poke the smiling felt sun puppet attached to the back cover. A finger inserted from the back makes the sun wiggle and will capture even the youngest baby’s attention. The puppet feature does not obstruct the initial page turns, but when a toddler says, “Do it again” (as they doubtless will), quickly re-positioning the finger puppet is somewhat challenging.
A fun but inessential novelty, as much toy as book. (Board book. 18 mos.-3)Pub Date: Dec. 26, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-338-30576-0
Page Count: 6
Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Nov. 11, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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