ALL YEAR ROUND

Name: ALL YEAR ROUND
Author: Susan B. Katz
ISBN: 978-0-545-74100-2

by Susan B. Katz ; illustrated by Eiko Ojala ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 5, 2016

While not many books combine the months or seasons with shapes, that’s not enough of a reason for this to take shelf space...

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A boy and girl explore shapes through a calendar year.

Beginning in January with “CIRCLE / round, / ready to roll. / Add two sticks, / a carrot, and coal,” the months proceed with few surprises: a heart for February, an egg for March, April showers’ rainbow, a baseball diamond in June, a rectangular pool for July’s heat. August’s an ice cream cone, September celebrates school with a crossing guard’s stop sign, October is a carved orange sphere, the two kids share a pie’s triangles in November, and December’s ice sports some figure eights. That leaves only May, which features a square wooden box filled with flowers. That’s not the only oddity, though: the verses are sometimes clunky, with odd punctuation, and at times they don’t make much sense. “A HALF CIRCLE, / don’t let go. / Showers, sunshine, / a real rainbow!” From the picture, readers won’t get much of a sense of what shouldn’t be let go: the girl isn’t holding anything, and the boy appears to have a strong grip on his umbrella. Ojala digitally illustrates his debut. Brilliant colors, simple backgrounds, and good use of perspective keep the focus on the kids (the boy a redheaded Caucasian, the dark-haired girl olive-skinned and perhaps Latina) and the shapes.

While not many books combine the months or seasons with shapes, that’s not enough of a reason for this to take shelf space from such books as Ellen Stoll Walsh’s Mouse Shapes (2007) or Stella Blackstone’s Ship Shapes (2006). (Picture/concept book. 3-6)

Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-545-74100-2

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Orchard/Scholastic

Review Posted Online: Oct. 5, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2015

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

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BLINKER, BLINKER LITTLE CAR
by Susan B. Katz ; illustrated by Jennifer Taylor

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GAUDÍ - ARCHITECT OF IMAGINATION
by Susan B. Katz ; illustrated by Linda Schwalbe

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MEDITATION STATION
by Susan B. Katz ; illustrated by Anait Semirdzhyan

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5 MORE SLEEPS 'TIL HALLOWEEN

by Jimmy Fallon ; illustrated by Rich Deas ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 3, 2024

Lighthearted and un-scary enough for bedtime.

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Talk show host Fallon and illustrator Deas follow up 5 More Sleeps ’Til Christmas (2020) with a story of a youngster preparing for Halloween.

“It’s FIVE more sleeps ’til Halloween, / that spooky time of year / where all the ghosts are wide awake / as nighttime’s drawing near.” A calendar page with a large numeral 5 curls before a bright orange pumpkin. An orange-haired, light-skinned moppet wearing an enormous pair of blue glasses is hunkered down in bed with Gary the dog, whose vibrant blue coloring matches the bedspread. Occasionally accompanied by a sibling, the young narrator counts down day by day, describing seasonal activities: picking out a costume, navigating a corn maze, watching scary movies, taking part in a parade, going on a hayride, and trick-or-treating. The rhyming verses are sometimes a bit rocky but always fun. The text is periodically punctuated by the word boo, which appears in large, cartoonlike lettering; that, along with the calendar countdown motif, adds a pleasant repetition. Though the child confides feelings of trepidation (“What if bats fly in my room? / I think I’ll close my window now”), descriptions of scary moments are always offset by brightly colored, exuberant artwork. Humor abounds: Gary looks both hilarious and sweet dressed in a ghost costume that matches the narrator’s. The final page neatly closes the circle as the child goes from anticipating the holiday to participating in it and back again.

Lighthearted and un-scary enough for bedtime. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2024

ISBN: 9781250857798

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Review Posted Online: May 31, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2024

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS

- BOOK REVIEW
CON POLLO
by Jimmy Fallon & Jennifer Lopez ; illustrated by Andrea Campos

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YOUR BABY'S FIRST WORD WILL BE DADA
by Jimmy Fallon ; illustrated by Miguel Ordóñez

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DIGGERSAURS

by Michael Whaite ; illustrated by Michael Whaite ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 2, 2019

Count on construction die-hards falling in love, but discerning readers would be wise to look elsewhere for their...

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Less ambitious than Chris Gall’s widely known Dinotrux (2009) and sequels, this British import systematically relegates each dinosaur/construction-equipment hybrid to its most logical job.

The title figures are introduced as bigger than both diggers and dinosaurs, and rhyming text and two construction-helmeted kids show just what these creatures are capable of. Each diggersaur has a specific job to do and a distinct sound effect. The dozersaurus moves rocks with a “SCRAAAAPE!!!” while the rollersaurus flattens lumps with a cheery “TOOT TOOT!!” Each diggersaur is numbered, with 12 in all, allowing this to be a counting book on the sly. As the diggersaurs (not all of which dig) perform jobs that regular construction equipment can do, albeit on a larger scale, there is no particular reason why any of them should have dinosaurlike looks other than just ’cause. Peppy computer art tries valiantly to attract attention away from the singularly unoriginal text. “Diggersaurs dig with bites so BIG, / each SCOOP creates a crater. // They’re TOUGH and STRONG / with necks so long— / they’re super EXCAVATORS!” Far more interesting are the two human characters, a white girl and a black boy, that flit about the pictures offering commentary and action. Much of the fun of the book can be found in trying to spot them on every two-page spread.

Count on construction die-hards falling in love, but discerning readers would be wise to look elsewhere for their dino/construction kicks. (Picture book. 3-6)