It’s not the sturdiest, but this French import is good for a practice run or two before trying the real thing.
With help from pull-tabs (but not visible grown-ups), Miki the lion dons trousers, a sweater, and other clothes before going out to play.
The relatively fragile tabs won’t survive more than a few hard yanks, but the motions they create—pulling green pants up, blue sweater down, orange (pre-tied, or perhaps equipped with elastic rather than laces) shoes on, and finally a red raincoat over all—are realistic if abbreviated. (Just let the fact that he starts out with socks and blue boxers already on slide.) It’s all a setup for an exuberant pop-up surprise at the end as Miki heads outdoors to take a wild leap into a rain puddle as a snail benevolently looks on. Budding fashionistas may find more-stylish dressing guides such as Margaret Chodos-Irvine’s Ella Sarah Gets Dressed (2003) or Denise Fleming’s Maggie and Michael Get Dressed (2016) more to their taste, but younger cubs just getting into the swing of doing-it-myself may appreciate these elementally simple hints as well as the unseen voice that keeps Miki on task: “Oh, it’s raining, Miki! We’re going to get soaked!” Miki obligingly replies, “All right, I’ll put on my red raincoat.”
It’s not the sturdiest, but this French import is good for a practice run or two before trying the real thing. (Pop-up picture book. 2-3)Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-2-40801-972-3
Page Count: 10
Publisher: Twirl/Chronicle
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
Pick up a copy or two for the toddlers and toddler-fans in your life.
A celebration of what it is to be 2!
Toddlerhood often gets a bad rap—just think of the phrase “terrible twos.” But in O’Leary and Klassen’s hands, 2 is anything but terrible. Two is active, capable, vocal, compassionate, thoughtful, creative, determined…whole. Two is human in this picture book, and the narration’s direct address provides affirmation of toddlers’ human complexity and dignity from one spread to the next: “Now that you are two, you are learning about yesterday, today, and tomorrow. You are forming memories and making plans.” Accompanying illustrations depict a diverse range of children, different ones on each spread, which nicely avoids having any one depiction of toddlerhood falsely stand in as universal, who engage in activities that echo or expand on the text. Playful industriousness gives way to contemplative calm or mischievous determination, embodied in the faces and postures of the children. The dialectic between art and text offers some surprises, too, as when the line “Wherever you go your baby goes, too” is paired with a picture of a child in the bathtub—not with a baby doll but with a sudsy toy T. Rex.
Pick up a copy or two for the toddlers and toddler-fans in your life. (Picture book. 2)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-77147-073-5
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Owlkids Books
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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