Empowering and entertaining for those learning to “go.”
A toddler is determined to ace the potty-training experience.
The diaper-wearing tot, who could be a girl or a boy, really wants underwear, just like the colorful pairs their older sibling wears. Daddy (who appears to be a single dad) obliges, and they go underwear shopping. Once the tyke has the brand-new undies on, the whole family, all with medium brown skin and straight black hair, rallies to the toilet-training cause. The youngster progresses through the other milestones of mastering the toileting routine: learning about wiping, teaching a toy how to have a tinkle, transitioning from diapers to the potty chair, having an accident, and trying again. After some abortive attempts, the toddler finally pees in the potty, and the family celebrates. While there is, unfortunately, no mention of hand-washing, the book affords a joyous and playful potty-training exploration. Seeboruth uses just enough words to get the point across, and the holophrases and telegraphic sentences emulate toddler-speak—a rarity in a book category that is often burdened with too much text. Corrin’s textured digital illustrations depict friendly, familial scenes in lively colors and have a chalk-art feel that contributes to the sense of the story being told through the eyes of a child.
Empowering and entertaining for those learning to “go.” (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Feb. 15, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-64686-357-0
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Barefoot Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
Despite the happy ending, a story meant to serve as reassurance to little ones giving up their own pacifiers comes off as...
It’s time for little Duck to give up his beloved pacifier.
Like many tots, “Duck likes his pacifier,” and the first double-page spread shows him sucking on it happily. Mama Duck, though, believes he’s outgrown it: “Only in bed, sleepyhead,” she admonishes, plucking the pacifier from Duck’s beak as he sits down to a meal. On subsequent pages, she repeats this phrase and pulls away the pacifier as surprised, sad-looking Duck sits in his car seat and reads a book. Adult readers will wonder here—why wouldn’t Mama Duck just put away the pacifier instead of repeatedly snatching it from her wee one throughout the day? Then, surprise, Mama Duck announces that Duck doesn’t need his pacifier at all: “Not even in bed, sleepyhead.” Here, a pleased-looking Mama Duck is pictured with the pacifier hanging from a cord around her neck, out of little Duck’s reach. The following double-page spread features Duck wailing in his crib. Turn the page, and readers see that “soon enough, Duck stops crying…and falls asleep” with no pacifier and no comfort from Mama. When morning comes, he proudly announces: “I’m a BIG DUCK now!”
Despite the happy ending, a story meant to serve as reassurance to little ones giving up their own pacifiers comes off as harsh and decidedly unpleasant. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4795-5793-6
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Picture Window Books
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A helpful way to prepare toddlers for a visit to the doctor with a character who’s easy to love.
In this episode in the life of toddler Leo, younger brother to Lola (Lola Reads to Leo, 2012, etc.), his parents take him to the doctor’s office for a checkup.
Leo, a brown boy with tightly curled hair, dressed in a onesie and holding onto a table, “is a big boy now.” His mother and father, who are exactly the same shade of brown, are in the background as Leo feeds himself, plays ball, sings, and dances. When it is time to go, he “puts his toys away” and gets “his blankie and Mister Seahorse.” Daddy packs a bag and brings him to the clinic, where Leo sits on the floor playing with Mister Seahorse while they wait for their turn. (This doctor evidently has a separate well-child waiting room, as every soul in the diverse gathering is smiling happily—there’s not a runny nose in sight.) When it is Leo’s turn, he shows his doctor, a white woman, “what he can do now.” He gets a sticker and a book and gets checked all over. He even continues smiling while he gets his shot, which “will keep him healthy.” The rounded features and shining, rosy cheeks of the invariably smiling characters make for a pleasant trip with Leo through his safe and welcoming world.
A helpful way to prepare toddlers for a visit to the doctor with a character who’s easy to love. (Picture book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 11, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-58089-891-1
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2018
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf
