The TV remote begins changing more than just channels once Baby gets hold of it: one “ZAP!” and all the toys get up and play on their own. Another “ZAP!” and the toy “aeroplane” grows big enough to fly Baby to the Moon. “ZAP!” and now the Moon’s a giant cookie. Time for Baby to come tumbling down into parental arms for bath, bed and—one last “ZAP!,” from Mama this time—dreamland. Dewan (Crispin, the Pig Who Had It All, not reviewed, etc.) outfits his gleeful toddler in yellow pj’s and a mass of curly red hair, arranges the buttons on the remote to resemble a face (seen winking in the last picture), and brings an increasingly worried-looking, plush bunny along for the ride. It’s an even bet whether children or weary parents will yearn more for a remote like this one. (Picture book. 3-5)
Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-385-74618-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2002
A simple but important lesson about anxiety that will speak to young worrywarts everywhere.
A troubled little unicorn needs serious help.
There are “worry gremlins” all around threatening his peace of mind. Kids will feel engaged and empowered as they follow the directions to get these gremlins out of the picture. Young readers are told to “wiggle your fingers to make some magic dust,” tickle the unicorn, tell him a joke, and shake the book. None of these tactics quite do the trick, since the gremlins keep coming back and Unicorn’s horn gets stuck in the page. A gentler shake frees the horn, and the text offers another solution, one that kids can take to heart—“The best way to get rid of a worry is to tell someone about it.” Luckily, Unicorn’s friend Monster, an innocuous blue being with tiny pink horns, is there for Unicorn to whisper his worries to. Readers are also urged to whisper something encouraging to Unicorn, who thereafter feels much better. Fears allayed, he and his friends indulge in an exuberant celebration. Kids can join in as they happily sing together against a double-page spread of stars, rays of light, fairies, and disappearing gremlins. The digital illustrations are humorous, and varying typefaces and energetic page reveals add to the fun. This entry in the Who’s in Your Book? series follows the same pattern as the others and includes characters from the previous books.
A simple but important lesson about anxiety that will speak to young worrywarts everywhere. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Jan. 4, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-43476-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Little Olivia Wendell is without neighbors, so she has learned to play alone. In her imagination, she populates the empty house next door with an inviting family and lots of lively farm animals. At story's end, a moving van appears in front of the vacant house and a girl just Olivia's age arrives at the gate between the two yards. The universal preschooler's wish for a friend is happily granted in Hough's very simple first book, although slightly older children will wonder why Olivia doesn't go to school and why no parents or siblings appear—she sleeps in a blanket in a chair at night. Kvasnosky (Mr. Chips, 1996) graces the book with her distinctive illustrations, in which boldly drawn forms are not quite filled with strong, flat color, so that every shape is enlivened by a white ``halo'' inside its outline. In the pictures, Olivia plays with a toy farm (from which her fantasies take shape) and owns a copy of an earlier book Kvasnosky illustrated, Florence Page Jaques's There Once Was a Puffin (1995). (Picture book. 3-5)
Pub Date: June 1, 1997
ISBN: 0-525-45497-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1997
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