Together with its companion, two humorous explorations of what it means to take care of a friend.
A child finds out an elephant with the sniffles is a lot of work—and can be contagious to boot!
A brown-skinned child with two cute buns atop her head works very hard to stop her elephant’s sniffles from turning into a sneeze in this lighthearted account. She puts him to bed, sweeps away any allergens, and even brings him a toy to cuddle up with. She soon learns, though, that an elephant in bed can get bored and that he'll need a lot of distracting. In the end, and despite all her efforts, the elephant sneezes. “Oh dear. When your elephant has the sniffles, you just might end up with them too!” The companion volume, When Your Lion Needs a Bath, follows an olive-skinned child attempting to bathe a smelly lion. Sneakiness and an understanding of the lion’s disposition are the main ingredients in this equally lighthearted account. Simple, cartoonlike illustrations against mostly white backgrounds keep the focus on the main characters. The books hit just the right note for children in this age group, who are newly developing empathy and an understanding of others.
Together with its companion, two humorous explorations of what it means to take care of a friend. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 11, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4814-9504-2
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 6, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2018
An upbeat Easter outing with a beloved character.
Pookie celebrates Easter with a play date and holiday activities.
Pookie’s friend Bean, a gray puppy, comes over for Easter fun that includes lots of bouncing around and egg decorating. After Bean goes home, Pookie gets excited about the Easter Bunny’s arrival and goes to sleep dreaming of a large chocolate egg. Like the other Pookie books before it, this one is told in rhyme from the perspective of a loving grown-up addressing the little pig, which keeps the pace moving and makes for a great read-aloud. Bean and Pookie are realistically—and endearingly—childlike, from Pookie’s pronunciation of yellow as “lellow!” to the joyful mess they make while decorating eggs. There are plenty of sweet and festive touches, such as the bunny ears that Bean and Pookie (and Pookie’s teddy) wear and the daffodils painted on the end of Pookie’s bed. The illustrations include large, full-page images as well as smaller vignettes against solid backgrounds. One page shows Pookie and parent looking out the window at the moon, anticipating Easter’s spoils. For fans of Boynton and little Pookie, this Easter tale is exactly as expected: a touch of playfulness, a relatable story, and comfort in the familiar. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
An upbeat Easter outing with a beloved character. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-66592-838-0
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Boynton Bookworks
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2022
For toddlers unafraid of typical Halloween imagery.
A troop of cats traverse a spooky landscape as they make their way to a party hosted by ghosts.
Each double-page spread shows the felines’ encounters with the likes of an owl, jack-o’-lanterns or a bat. One or two of these creepy meetings may be too abstract for the youngest readers, as the cats hear eerie noises with no discernible source on the page. The text, which consists of one rhyming couplet per scene, mostly scans despite a couple of wobbles: “Five black cats get a bit of a scare / As the flip-flapping wings of a bat fill the air.” The sleek, slightly retro art, likely created using a computer, depicts the cats cavorting at night through a shadowy cityscape, the countryside and a haunted house; they may scare some toddlers and delight others. A brighter color palette would have given the project a friendlier, more universal appeal. Luckily, the well-lit, final party scene provides a playful conclusion.
For toddlers unafraid of typical Halloween imagery. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-58925-611-8
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: Sept. 24, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2014
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