A mostly satisfying addition to the interactive board-book shelf
Simple, repetitive text, familiar sounds, and developmentally appropriate graphics characterize this simple board book for little ones.
Even the quietest noise—the hoot of an owl, the chirp of a cricket—keeps Baby Bear awake. High-contrast black-and-white drawings placed against mostly black backgrounds should attract the attention of newborns. The subtle change in Baby Bear's quizzical gaze as he eyes the source of each interruption and blue highlights on the other critters, including Mama, help maintain interest for older toddlers. Finding the tiny switch that activates the book’s sound is a bit of a challenge, which could keep young children from driving adults to distraction by repeatedly pressing the buttons located under character-coded tabs at the edges of the pages. The final page, which hides the sound chips and speaker, is quite thick. Older children may be tempted to take it apart to learn what makes the sound, but little ones will just smile at the recognizable sound of a kitty or dog. As with many novelty items, the relatively high price should be weighed against the value of the added sounds. Vroom, Zoom! Here Comes the Fire Truck, published simultaneously, shares the same format, but with louder noises and bright red highlights, it is charming for after nap time.
A mostly satisfying addition to the interactive board-book shelf . (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Dec. 31, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-68297-052-2
Page Count: 8
Publisher: QEB Publishing
Review Posted Online: Nov. 22, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Leave the hopping to Peter Cottontail and sing the original song instead.
An Easter-themed board-book parody of the traditional nursery rhyme.
Unfortunately, this effort is just as sugary and uninspired as The Itsy Bitsy Snowman, offered by the same pair in 2015. A cheerful white bunny hops through a pastel world to distribute candy and treats for Easter but spills his baskets. A hedgehog, fox, mouse, and various birds come to the bunny’s rescue, retrieving the candy, helping to devise a distribution plan, and hiding the eggs. Then magically, they all fly off in a hot air balloon as the little animals in the village emerge to find the treats. Without any apparent purpose, the type changes color to highlight some words. For very young children every word is new, so highlighting “tiny tail” or “friends” makes no sense. Although the text is meant to be sung, the words don't quite fit the rhythm of the original song. Moreover, there are not clear motions to accompany the text; without the fingerplay movements, this book has none of the satisfying verve of the traditional version.
Leave the hopping to Peter Cottontail and sing the original song instead. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-5621-0
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
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An upbeat early book on feelings with a simple storyline that little ones will respond to.
This simplified version of Diesen and Hanna’s The Pout-Pout Fish (2008) is appropriate for babies and toddlers.
Brief, rhyming text tells the story of a sullen fish cheered up with a kiss. A little pink sea creature pokes his head out of a hole in the sea bottom to give the gloomy fish some advice: “Smile, Mr. Fish! / You look so down // With your glum-glum face / And your pout-pout frown.” He explains that there’s no reason to be worried, scared, sad or mad and concludes: “How about a smooch? / And a cheer-up wish? // Now you look happy: / What a smile, Mr. Fish!” Simple and sweet, this tale offers the lesson that sometimes, all that’s needed for a turnaround in mood is some cheer and encouragement to change our perspective. The clean, uncluttered illustrations are kept simple, except for the pout-pout fish’s features, which are delightfully expressive. Little ones will easily recognize and likely try to copy the sad, scared and angry looks that cross the fish’s face.
An upbeat early book on feelings with a simple storyline that little ones will respond to. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-374-37084-8
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
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