Saccharine and ephemeral.
The 10 felt flaps in this board book seem incidental to its message of love.
Little fingers will quickly grasp the heart-shaped cover cutout decorating a polka-dot cat. Within, whimsical animals set against pastel backgrounds illustrate rhyming text printed in a clean but light all-caps type. The rhymes mostly work, though “Surrounded by a curlicue. / Or playing games of peekaboo” doesn’t exactly slide smoothly off the tongue. The felt tab on each spread is a gimmick, inessential to the narrative. The initial heart hides a bouquet of flowers. A pink elephant’s felt ear hides a baby elephant. One of the panda papa’s arms is felt, barely covering two pink cubs. Young children may miss a baby panda on the opposite page being carried in the mama panda’s mouth. A lion cub hides behind a larger lion’s felt mane, though in real life mane-free mother lions are the protectors. Turquoise felt mittens hiding brown fingers decorated with rings and rainbow-colored fingernails grace the spread with the most awkward rhyme: “A helpful hand, a gentle squeeze. / Love is kindness, comfort, peace.” On the final spread, decorated with animals, hearts, flowers, rainbows, and faces with varied skin tones, a pink felt speech bubble hides the words, “You are loved.” The felt flaps, while tactile and inviting, also stretch when pulled.
Saccharine and ephemeral. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Oct. 20, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4521-7260-6
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2020
A joyful celebration.
Families in a variety of configurations play, dance, and celebrate together.
The rhymed verse, based on a song from the Noodle Loaf children’s podcast, declares that “Families belong / Together like a puzzle / Different-sized people / One big snuggle.” The accompanying image shows an interracial couple of caregivers (one with brown skin and one pale) cuddling with a pajama-clad toddler with light brown skin and surrounded by two cats and a dog. Subsequent pages show a wide array of families with members of many different racial presentations engaging in bike and bus rides, indoor dance parties, and more. In some, readers see only one caregiver: a father or a grandparent, perhaps. One same-sex couple with two children in tow are expecting another child. Smart’s illustrations are playful and expressive, curating the most joyful moments of family life. The verse, punctuated by the word together, frequently set in oversized font, is gently inclusive at its best but may trip up readers with its irregular rhythms. The song that inspired the book can be found on the Noodle Loaf website.
A joyful celebration. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-22276-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Rise x Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: Nov. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2020
Leave the hopping to Peter Cottontail and sing the original song instead.
An Easter-themed board-book parody of the traditional nursery rhyme.
Unfortunately, this effort is just as sugary and uninspired as The Itsy Bitsy Snowman, offered by the same pair in 2015. A cheerful white bunny hops through a pastel world to distribute candy and treats for Easter but spills his baskets. A hedgehog, fox, mouse, and various birds come to the bunny’s rescue, retrieving the candy, helping to devise a distribution plan, and hiding the eggs. Then magically, they all fly off in a hot air balloon as the little animals in the village emerge to find the treats. Without any apparent purpose, the type changes color to highlight some words. For very young children every word is new, so highlighting “tiny tail” or “friends” makes no sense. Although the text is meant to be sung, the words don't quite fit the rhythm of the original song. Moreover, there are not clear motions to accompany the text; without the fingerplay movements, this book has none of the satisfying verve of the traditional version.
Leave the hopping to Peter Cottontail and sing the original song instead. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-5621-0
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
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