An absurd but cute read that will have tots and parents alike giggling aloud.
The rear end gets its moment in the spotlight.
A baby's backside might be the silliest part of the body that's fit to print, and this board book has a good time basking in its glow. The book shows bums of all sorts—duck, pig, elephant, and monkey (really baboon)—before getting to the grand finale with baby. Each derrière is described with an adjective (the duck’s is “fluffy”; the baby’s is “cute”). The same brown-haired, white baby is also the star of the concurrently published There, There, a board book that explores each animal's sound: “ribbit,” “cluck,” and so on. At the midway point of There, There, the baby begins to cry, and the animals start crying too. Snapping out of it, the baby comforts the animals with the “magic words,” "There, there." Both books are illustrated with bold, simple shapes rendered in a clean, limited color palette. The narratives are also simply put forth, presenting silly words that parents can play with in all sorts of ways when reading aloud to their toddlers.
An absurd but cute read that will have tots and parents alike giggling aloud. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Feb. 9, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-7636-8784-7
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character.
One of Boynton's signature characters celebrates Halloween.
It's Halloween time, and Pookie the pig is delighted. Mom helps the little porker pick out the perfect Halloween costume, a process that spans the entire board book. Using an abcb rhyme scheme, Boynton dresses Pookie in a series of cheerful costumes, including a dragon, a bunny, and even a caped superhero. Pookie eventually settles on the holiday classic, a ghost, by way of a bedsheet. Boynton sprinkles in amusing asides to her stanzas as Pookie offers costume commentary ("It's itchy"; "It's hot"; "I feel silly"). Little readers will enjoy the notion of transforming themselves with their own Halloween costumes while reading this book, and a few parents may get some ideas as well. Boynton's clean, sharp illustrations are as good as ever. This is Pookie's first holiday title, but readers will surely welcome more.
A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: July 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-553-51233-5
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Robin Corey/Random
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
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Perfect for Valentine’s Day, but the syrupy sweetness will cloy after the holiday.
Animal parents declare their love for their offspring in alphabetical order.
Each page displays an enormous capital letter, one line of verse with the keyword capitalized, and a loving nonhuman parent gazing adoringly at their baby. “A is for Always. I always love you more. / B is for Butterfly kisses. It’s you that I adore.” While not named or labelled as such, the A is also for an alligator and its hatchling and B is for a butterfly and a butterfly child (not a caterpillar—biology is not the aim of this title) interacting in some way with the said letter. For E there are an elephant and a calf; U features a unicorn and foal; and X, keyed to the last letter of the animal’s name, corresponds to a fox and three pups. The final double-page spread shows all the featured creatures and their babies as the last line declares: “Baby, I love you from A to Z!” The verse is standard fare and appropriately sentimental. The art is cartoony-cute and populated by suitably loving critters on solid backgrounds. Hearts accent each scene, but the theme of the project is never in any doubt.
Perfect for Valentine’s Day, but the syrupy sweetness will cloy after the holiday. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-7282-2095-6
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2021
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