Although this pretty book holds a sweet sentiment, it’s not substantial enough to satisfy.
Winsome animals greet each other from across the gutter in this Japanese import.
Two creatures meander about on opposite sides of a double-page spread until a page turn joins them at the gutter, suddenly bringing two monkeys’ hands together and two goldfish face to face. Even readers who might normally gloss over book design will notice and appreciate the fresh way Miura has used the book’s layout to connect the friends. Circle-headed humans join the mix on the final three spreads, with a beguiling child cuddling cheek to cheek with Mommy before Daddy also appears at the lovefest on the following spread. (These humans have pale skin and brown hair.) All the most elemental features are exaggerated on the flat, cartoonlike representations, all sitting on minimally detailed backgrounds that draw the eye to the duos. White ducks silhouetted against rich blue have enormous golden bills, pointy little tails, and vague lines that suggest wings. Unfortunately, while it works visually, it fails textually. Each pair has an original salutation to share with each other, but the resulting statements are so clunky that it’s a struggle to read aloud: “Fish swim HELLO! / …by touching noses.” Also problematic is the confusion about which animal greetings are fabricated and which are real. Some are accurate, such as the elephants that shake trunks, but ducks do not “quack HI! / …by tapping beaks.”
Although this pretty book holds a sweet sentiment, it’s not substantial enough to satisfy. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Dec. 24, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4521-7087-9
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2019
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
BOOK REVIEW
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BOOK REVIEW
The small size, a predictable winter adventure, and Boynton’s very toddlerlike character make this a fine stocking stuffer...
Seven years after Little Pookie (2011) first appeared, this popular piglet is finally celebrating Christmas.
“Oh Pookie! Come look! It’s beginning to snow,” says a maternal-looking pig. But where did Pookie go? Past the Christmas tree, to put on a snowsuit of course. Pookie’s ever cheerful mama is willing to go out too. After all, “It’s a magical time to be walking with you.” When she observes, “Our noses are frozen. It’s time to go in,” Pookie protests in typical toddler style: “But I’m not c-c-c-cold!” The next three pages highlight indoor holiday preparations—making paper garlands, baking and decorating cookies. The rhyming text mirrors the spare illustrations. A spidery type that emulates handwriting makes it clear when Pookie is speaking. Then “the doorbell is ringing. / Our family and friends have arrived for the singing.” The second-to-last spread shows Pookie, mama, and six other pigs—and Boynton’s requisite chicken—singing (“Con brio”), “MER-RY CHRIST-MAS! MER-RY CHRIST-MAS! AND A HAP-PY NEW YEAR!” Conveniently, this text is placed beneath the musical notation. Finally Pookie hangs a stocking and goes off to bed without any fuss, anticipating presents on Christmas morning.
The small size, a predictable winter adventure, and Boynton’s very toddlerlike character make this a fine stocking stuffer or an ideal Christmas Eve read to share with other little piggies. (Board book. 18 mos.-3)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5344-3724-1
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 15, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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