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FEELINGS!

Name: FEELINGS!
Author: Tad Carpenter
ISBN: 978-0-316-20074-5

From the I Say, You Say series

by Tad Carpenter ; illustrated by Tad Carpenter ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 7, 2014

Carpenter’s predicable, interactive titles in the I Say, You Say series offer appealing introductions to basic concepts just...

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This new addition to the I Say, You Say series invites a young audience to playfully explore the world of emotions.

Quickly falling into a predictable and comforting pattern, the left-hand page introduces a feeling—“I say happy, you say…”—and the gatefold flap on the right-hand page lifts to reveal a corresponding response: “SMILE!” Other feelings include grumpy, silly, sad, excited, sleepy, hurt and love. The bright, busy pages, which star wide-eyed, cartoon-style animal characters in situations typically associated with the emotions featured, will appeal to little ones and help them to understand the concepts presented. For instance, a scowling cat getting drenched in the rain illustrates “grumpy”; a crying gorilla with a bee sting on his thumb aptly represents “hurt”; and pairs of cuddling and kissing animals symbolize “love.” In companion title Colors! (978-0-316-20072-1), the left-hand page offers an object—“I say apples, you say…”—and the gatefold reveals the name of the color: “RED!” Little ones will enjoy the repetition and interactivity of these offerings, celebrating as they correctly guess the words hiding under the flaps.

Carpenter’s predicable, interactive titles in the I Say, You Say series offer appealing introductions to basic concepts just right for toddlers and preschoolers. (Picture book. 1-3)

Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2014

ISBN: 978-0-316-20074-5

Page Count: 18

Publisher: LB Kids/Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: Nov. 26, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2013

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
BITTY BOT'S BIG BEACH GETAWAY
by Tim McCanna ; illustrated by Tad Carpenter

- BOOK REVIEW
MONSTER'S NEW UNDIES
by Samantha Berger ; illustrated by Tad Carpenter

- BOOK REVIEW
TUGBOAT BILL AND THE RIVER RESCUE
by Calista Brill ; illustrated by Tad Carpenter

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SMILE, POUT-POUT FISH

by Deborah Diesen ; illustrated by Dan Hanna ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 7, 2014

An upbeat early book on feelings with a simple storyline that little ones will respond to.

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
THE WORRY-WORRY WHALE AND THE CLASSROOM JITTERS
by Deborah Diesen ; illustrated by Dan Hanna

- BOOK REVIEW
POUT-POUT FISH
by Deborah Diesen ; illustrated by Dan Hanna

- BOOK REVIEW
THE POUT-POUT FISH AND THE MAD, MAD DAY
by Deborah Diesen ; illustrated by Dan Hanna

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ALL ABOUT ME

From the Look & Learn series

by National Geographic ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 11, 2014

Clear nonfiction for the very young is hard to come by, and it appears that the Look & Learn series may finally be on...

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An exploration of the human body through colorful photos.

Every other double-page spread labels the individual parts on one major area: head, torso, back, arm and leg. Ethnically diverse boy-girl pairs serve as models as arrows point to specific features and captions float nearby. While the book usefully mentions rarely depicted body parts, such as eyebrow, armpit and shin, some of the directional arrows are unclear. The arrow pointing at a girl’s shoulder hits her in the upper arm, and the belly button is hard is distinguish from the stomach (both are concealed by shirts). Facts about the human body (“Guess what? You have tiny hairs in your nose that keep out dirt”) appear on alternating spreads along with photos of kids in action. Baby Animals, another title in the Look & Learn series, uses an identical format to introduce readers to seal pups, leopard cubs, elephant calves, ducklings and tadpoles. In both titles, the final spread offers a review of the information and encourages readers to match baby animals to their parents or find body parts on a photo of kids jumping on a trampoline.

Clear nonfiction for the very young is hard to come by, and it appears that the Look & Learn series may finally be on the right track despite earlier titles that were much too conceptual for the audience. (Board book. 18 mos.-3)