by Steve Jenkins ; illustrated by Steve Jenkins ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 2021
Beautiful illustrations with finesse of color and detail make this worth visiting again and again.
A visual animal encyclopedia.
Caldecott honoree Jenkins lends his characteristic, detailed cut-paper illustrations to this lift-the-flap board book. Divided by climate (“arctic animals,” for instance), type (“airborne animals”), or habitat (“underground animals”), this picture-based guide presents the named animals in a series of simple grids. Each double-page spread features two flaps that, when opened, reveal more action than the surrounding illustrations. The flaps do a wonderful job of conveying motion, serving almost as before and after images. The trapdoor spider, for example, crawls out from belowground, and the penguin goes on a belly slide into the water. Jenkins plunges deeper into lesser-knowns of the animal kingdom than readers might typically find in a board book, a bonus for fans. There’s an oarfish, a tomato frog, and a darkling beetle, to name a few. As always, Jenkins’ illustrations invite readers to linger and look. The simple bee (a honeybee) looks as fuzzy as the real deal; the camel is furry, squinting with its signature suspicious eyes. Adult readers will get a chuckle out of some of the “indoor animals”: a moth, a termite, a cockroach, and a cricket, all of which might take some explaining to toddlers. Overall, this one will leave readers wishing for more of Jenkins’ rich illustrations, but it does succeed as a picture encyclopedia.
Beautiful illustrations with finesse of color and detail make this worth visiting again and again. (Novelty board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Feb. 23, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-358-10545-9
Page Count: 14
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2021
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by Agnese Baruzzi ; illustrated by Agnese Baruzzi ; translated by Maria Russo ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 11, 2021
A fun, new take on droppings.
Youngsters can learn about where and how various animals, domestic and wild, relieve themselves.
Via a pull-tab embedded in each recto (not, thankfully, in the rectum) readers can see the before and after, and a goldfish in a bowl leaves a trail while swimming. The verso asks each creature where it does its business, and then a (sometimes-forced) rhyming quatrain, translated from Italian, answers the question: “And where do YOU poop, mouse? / When inside my tummy / Starts to feel not so good / It’s time for a poop / On these chips made of wood!” The final double-page spread queries readers: “And where do YOU poop?” A redheaded, White toddler’s face is visible below this question; the pull-tab on the right opens a bathroom to reveal a White toddler, this time with medium brown hair, happily and modestly sitting on a blue toddler potty. The accompanying quatrain provides some developmentally appropriate guidance for feeling the signs of a movement coming on. Baruzzi’s art is droll and graphically clean (inasmuch as the depiction of excrement can be described that way). Little fingers may need some help finding the relatively easy-to-open and sturdy pull-tabs, since they blend into each page. It works as both a biology lesson and potty-training encouragement.
A fun, new take on droppings. (Novelty board book. 18 mos.-3)Pub Date: May 11, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-66265-042-0
Page Count: 16
Publisher: minedition
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2021
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by Phyllis Limbacher Tildes ; illustrated by Phyllis Limbacher Tildes ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 2, 2017
Useful for toddling birders in need of board books about colors.
Gorgeous birds amid foliage of similar hues introduce eight basic colors.
The two birds presented on each spread not only are of similar coloration, but also live in the same North American habitat. A scarlet tanager and a cardinal, both male, perch in a red maple tree; a male Eastern bluebird and a blue jay appear with morning glories and blueberries. The name of each color is printed in large font, while the name of each bird is in a much smaller one. Whether the bird shown is male or female, or if the male and female have similar coloring, is also indicated. The names of the trees they perch upon are identified in a note on the back cover. These details will be lost on most toddlers, but caregivers will appreciate being able to answer questions knowledgeably. Colors featured are from the standard box of crayons, except that pink is substituted for purple. Black and white share a spread. The cover image, of a cardinal, goldfinch, and bluebird in a birdbath, is not nearly as inviting as the images within. The final spread shows children (one white, one black, one Asian) assembling a puzzle that includes the same birds. This may serve as a reprise but will probably be skipped over. Bird-loving readers will probably feel that the space could have been put to better use by giving white birds their own page or adding a purple martin.
Useful for toddling birders in need of board books about colors. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: May 2, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-58089-742-6
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: April 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
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