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COLOR ME

WHO'S IN THE RAIN FOREST?

From the Wee Gallery series

A pleasant diversion at bathtime or an easy, repeatable, and nonmessy painting activity.

What fun! A book that changes color.

Eight foam-padded plastic pages of this novelty item are illustrated with developmentally appropriate black-line drawings of rainforest creatures, one per page. The jaguar occupies the centerfold. Wet the pictures in the bathtub or with a paintbrush or sponge, and figures fill in with bright colors. Unlabeled flowers and leaves that decorate each page are evocative of the rainforest. The frog turns red and purple against a blue-green background; the monkey and sloth turn gray with yellow and green backgrounds. The jaguar’s tawny red stands out against a teal background. The butterfly becomes dark gray with blue, pink, and yellow spots. The unlabeled toucan on the front and iguana on the back are permanently colored, but their backgrounds change color when wet. The colors fade almost as soon as the tub drains. No worry; it can be dunked again and again. With repeated use the retained hint of color becomes more pronounced.

A pleasant diversion at bathtime or an easy, repeatable, and nonmessy painting activity. (Board book. 6 mos.-3)

Pub Date: May 17, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-68297-343-1

Page Count: 8

Publisher: QEB Publishing

Review Posted Online: June 10, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018

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THE TOUCH BOOK

From the My World series

A fun, utilitarian vocabulary builder that begs to be picked up and touched.

In the tradition of Pat the Bunny, this effort offers plenty of opportunity for tactile exploration.

Though it lacks the inventiveness, charm, and nontactile sensory provocations that make Pat the Bunny an enduring classic, this gives little hands plenty to grab, feel, touch, and experience. There are no “Paul and Judy” on hand to emulate, but the die-cut, fuzzy handprint in the middle of the thick, cardboard cover makes the book’s intent and methodology clear to its audience. So does the admonition, “Let’s Get Hands-on!” accompanying a photo of a little White child with fingers and palms covered in different colors of paint. The next page lists 10 different textures along with photographs of items that act as examples of each. Featured sensations are “fluffy, crinkly, smooth, bumpy, sticky, spongy, furry, rough, scratchy, [and] soft.” Each texture gets a two-page spread featuring several different items or creatures that feel that way and one large example with a die-cut hole and an embedded tactile element of the corresponding texture. The book features plenty of vocabulary, including three synonyms for each type of texture. There’s a descriptive sentence: “Fluffy things feel light and airy,” for example. Questions add an interactive element, inviting children to explore for themselves: “If you run your finger along something crinkly, what kind of noise does it make?”

A fun, utilitarian vocabulary builder that begs to be picked up and touched. (Board book. 1-4)

Pub Date: March 23, 2021

ISBN: 978-1-68010-656-5

Page Count: 22

Publisher: Tiger Tales

Review Posted Online: June 1, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021

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I AM MONEY

An educational and uplifting foundation in financial mindsets and rules of thumb.

A walking, talking billfold of cash takes readers through the ins and outs of money.

Held together by a shiny gold clip and often accompanied by anthropomorphic coins, our narrator is a smiley, positive presence who eats pizza and rides a bike, just like us! Money explains its value as well as how to earn it (mowing lawns, selling lemonade), spend it, save it, and share it. The narrator uses clothing as a metaphor to explain different forms of money—sometimes the narrator dons “digital and crypto clothes,” though the author doesn’t elaborate on these. A similar reference to “credit card coats” is accompanied by a warning on overspending. Most commendable are reminders of readers' self-worth: Though readers are encouraged to invest in themselves, it’s made abundantly clear that money does not confer value to people. A message about earning interest is followed by a wordless page of coins and bills passing by a bank and a credit union—concepts that are a bit too advanced to describe in detail for this book’s audience. For now, tracking savings in a clear jar (not a piggy bank) is advanced enough. A guinea pig appears throughout the cheerful, textured art, making a suitably cute sidekick for the narrator.

An educational and uplifting foundation in financial mindsets and rules of thumb. (money tips) (Informational picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2024

ISBN: 9781728271262

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Sourcebooks eXplore

Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2023

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