It is lovely to see more and more of Gomi’s work being translated into English, but this offering proves that not all of his...
A mama hen plays a game of hide-and-seek with her two little chicks.
The hatchlings call “Mommy! Mommy!” when they can’t locate her, and she reassuringly appears with the words “Here I am!” with the turn of the page. The first time, their mama is simply in the distance, but the next time, she hides behind a wall before reappearing. This pattern alters as the chicks go on to mistake a fuchsia-colored flower poking out from behind a bush and the scraggly pink coat of a fanged monster protruding from behind some rocks for their mother’s comb. The mother-and-chick reunion takes place on top of a barnyard roof while a happy sun looks on. Gomi uses spare watercolors on white backgrounds, graphically simple shapes and the subtle placement of beaks and eyes to convey lots of action and emotion. Adults should share this title sensitively with their youngsters, since some toddlers may find the pink monster (or is it supposed to be a dog?) a little bit frightening.
It is lovely to see more and more of Gomi’s work being translated into English, but this offering proves that not all of his work has universal appeal. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: May 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4521-0834-6
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: April 9, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2013
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An excellent, rounded effort from a creator who knows how to deliver.
The farmyard's chickens experience Halloween.
A round, full moon shines in the sky, and the chickens of Boynton's barnyard are feeling “nervous.” Pumpkins shine “with flickering eyes,” witches and wizards wander the pastures, and one chicken has seen “a mouse of enormous size.” It’s Halloween night, and readers will delight as the chickens huddle together and try to figure out what's going on. All ends well, of course, and in Boynton's trademark silly style. (It’s really quite remarkable how her ranks of white, yellow-beaked chickens evoke rows of candy corn.) At this point parents and children know what they're in for when they pick up a book by the prolific author, and she doesn't disappoint here. The chickens are silly, the pigs are cute, and the coloring and illustrations evoke a warmth that little ones wary of Halloween will appreciate. For children leery of the ghouls and goblins lurking in the holiday's iconography, this is a perfect antidote, emphasizing all the fun Halloween has to offer.
An excellent, rounded effort from a creator who knows how to deliver. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Aug. 23, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-7611-9300-5
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Workman
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
An upbeat early book on feelings with a simple storyline that little ones will respond to.
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
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BOOK REVIEW
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