Altogether, a disappointment.
Adoring animal mothers and their babies stand out (literally) on each board-book page.
Two lines of rhyming text per double-page spread describe a mother’s unconditional love. The verse is pedestrian at best and unengagingly tepid in its rhythm: “You are my sunshine, little one— / With you, the world is bright and fun.” Soft-edged illustrations show deer, penguin, squirrel, seal, bear, and elephant parent-and-offspring pairs. (The larger deer depicted has spots, just like its fawn, suggesting it’s a type not common to North America.) Each of the species represented does care for their young, but smiles and behaviors make it clear these are merely stand-ins for human caregivers and children. However, the idealized images match the sweet tone of the text and do not represent a range of realistic human emotions. Pick up Sandra Boynton’s I Love You, Little Pookie (2018) for a more genuine and toddler-appropriate expression of parental love. The pop-up feature on each spread is also superfluous. Simple cutouts bend forward as the page is turned but do not provide additional information or add to the slight storyline.
Altogether, a disappointment. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-68010-585-8
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
A joyful celebration.
Families in a variety of configurations play, dance, and celebrate together.
The rhymed verse, based on a song from the Noodle Loaf children’s podcast, declares that “Families belong / Together like a puzzle / Different-sized people / One big snuggle.” The accompanying image shows an interracial couple of caregivers (one with brown skin and one pale) cuddling with a pajama-clad toddler with light brown skin and surrounded by two cats and a dog. Subsequent pages show a wide array of families with members of many different racial presentations engaging in bike and bus rides, indoor dance parties, and more. In some, readers see only one caregiver: a father or a grandparent, perhaps. One same-sex couple with two children in tow are expecting another child. Smart’s illustrations are playful and expressive, curating the most joyful moments of family life. The verse, punctuated by the word together, frequently set in oversized font, is gently inclusive at its best but may trip up readers with its irregular rhythms. The song that inspired the book can be found on the Noodle Loaf website.
A joyful celebration. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-22276-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Rise x Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: Nov. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2020
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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