Great fun; potentially brief life span.
This book’s peekaboo-inspired design is charming—and delicate.
This lovely board book gets big points for inventive design and one demerit for its use of flimsy stock for the fold-a-flap elements. Grabby youngsters could quickly deprive Teddy of a limb, or at least of a hiding place. That said, the artwork and design are irresistible, and a well-supervised child should get many rewarding readings out of a copy of this book. The action unfolds, pun intended, in a series of two-page vignettes. Each set piece starts with the titular question. The answers, revealed by unfolding each sequence’s corresponding flaps, include “Here I am,” as Teddy’s arms are folded down to reveal his eyes in classic peekaboo fashion; “Under the umbrella with Daddy”; “Under the covers with Mommy”; “In the box, with all the toys”; and the climactic “Look, I’m right here with you,” as the accompanying flap reveals Teddy holding a mirror to reflect his young readers. There are a few surprises along the way—one stack of blocks conceals not Teddy but a robot friend; Teddy is hiding behind the other stack. Better still, one two-page spread has not one but three flaps to unfold, but Teddy isn’t behind any of them. The call-and-response format encourages vocabulary-building and verbal skills, but late talkers will be delighted as well.
Great fun; potentially brief life span. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Oct. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-2-40800-434-7
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Twirl/Chronicle
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
Sure to prompt little fingers into joyful action.
A favorite baby-and-toddler activity receives an upbeat celebration that will get those fingers going. Watch out!
The gang of frazzled felines that populate this outing are truly the cat's meow. Based on Boynton's song of the same title, the text is reproduced in a colored, patterned font that amps the energy right up. A forlorn little kitty, paws clasped in front of his body, appears anxious (though slightly intrigued) when a trio of toms encourages him to join in the fun. “Gitchy-gitchy / Goo Gotta / Ready, Set, Go!” It doesn't take long before the cautious cat jumps in on this chorus line with dramatic leaps and fluttering fingers. A little birdie acts as a square-dance caller, enunciating each beat (“Goo bop. / Gitchy-goo bop”). The shaggy, large-nosed felines are tremendously expressive in their synchronized movements and maintain a rollicking pace. “We can tickle high. / We can tickle low. / We can tickle QUICKQUICKQUICK / as fast as we can go!” (Here, the page is filled with iterations of "gitchy gitchy gitchy" in different colors.) At the end, the gang sprawls on the floor, exhausted, after a truly monumental tickle-fest.
Sure to prompt little fingers into joyful action. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: March 16, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-7611-6883-6
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Workman
Review Posted Online: June 12, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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