Art appreciation with an ingenious twist.
Take a peek at art from a variety of different literal and metaphorical angles.
Veritably daring readers to look at art in a fresh new way, this innovatively designed board book features a variety of foldouts, flaps, and die cuts. From its disorienting upside-down first page, the authors use the medium to its best advantage. Never gimmicky, the format enhances readers’ understanding of the art. A Lichtenstein pop-art page superbly uses a die cut as a frame to draw eyes to the half-toning that makes the piece work, and lifting a flap “Up” reveals a hanging Calder mobile. This is one of the rare board books that speaks to many ages: A long, colorful foldout of Warhol flower variants would be ideal for a baby to gaze at during tummy time. A Cindy Sherman–inspired shiny mirrored page with black glasses will attract toddlers’ eyes, but knowing it works as a disguise will intrigue preschool readers. All of the carefully curated and concisely explained pieces of art are from the Whitney collection. They include sculpture, prints, mobiles, and photography, and male and female artists are showcased equally. The selections, which also include a street-art photograph of children playing with sidewalk chalk and an intriguing sculpture of a woman alongside her small dog, have broad child appeal.
Art appreciation with an ingenious twist. (Board book. 6 mos.-5)Pub Date: Nov. 18, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-7148-7721-1
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Phaidon
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
There once was a children’s-book author named Ifeoma who lived in London with her two sons. While pondering her latest project, the writer recalled the folklore she was regaled with as a youth in her eastern Nigerian village.... Putting pen to paper, Onyefulu resurrects the characters that populated those stories, like sage King Lion and gullible Lizard, for a new generation of readers. She recounts the tale of a greedy, crafty Tortoise, who hides food from all his jungle friends during a famine only to learn the importance of sharing after he is caught out. In the titular tale, the author introduces readers to Ogilisa, a spoiled child who learns the importance of humility and acceptance when she finds her appetite cannot be satisfied in reality. Playful idioms, such as “they were like two seeds in an udala fruit,” and basic introductions to Nigerian culture (mentions of food, clothing and customs) illuminate the basic precepts introduced in this vigorous collection of fables, each of which closes with a moral. The moral of this review? Aesop doesn't have all the answers. (Folklore. 8-12)
Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-84780-176-0
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Frances Lincoln
Review Posted Online: Dec. 25, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2010
In a large, handsome format, Tarnowska offers six tales plus an abbreviated version of the frame story, retold in formal but contemporary language and sandwiched between a note on the Nights’ place in her childhood in Lebanon and a page of glossary and source notes. Rather than preserve the traditional embedded structure and cliffhanger cutoffs, she keeps each story discrete and tones down the sex and violence. This structure begs the question of why Shahriyar lets Shahrazade [sic] live if she tells each evening’s tale complete, but it serves to simplify the reading for those who want just one tale at a time. Only the opener, “Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp,” is likely to be familiar to young readers; in others a prince learns to control a flying “Ebony Horse” by “twiddling” its ears, contending djinn argue whether “Prince Kamar el Zaman [or] Princess Boudour” is the more beautiful (the prince wins) and in a Cinderella tale a “Diamond Anklet” subs for the glass slipper. Hénaff’s stylized scenes of domed cityscapes and turbaned figures add properly whimsical visual notes to this short but animated gathering. (Folktales. 10-12)
Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-84686-122-2
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Barefoot Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 22, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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