Cheery and affirming.
A book to read—and sing—about making and then moving past mistakes.
Children’s musician Kubart offers advice akin to that found in the Sesame Street song “Everyone Makes Mistakes So Why Can’t You?” in this, his first picture-book text. Richmond’s bright and cheery multimedia illustrations interpret the text to follow a child through one day at home and school. Minor mishaps (or “oopsies”) punctuate the comings and goings, but the diverse cast around the child (who has brown skin and straight, dark hair) embodies the text’s encouraging tone in illustrations that depict their shows of support. “Oopsies can happen and get in your way, / but that doesn’t mean they should ruin your day,” reads the opening spread as the child arrives at school with parent and baby sibling. From there, the child spills fish food on the floor, among other mistakes, and after each incident, the text repeats the titular refrain, along with an accompanying picture showing the mishap resolved. The child’s roll-with-the-punches attitude, in turn, allows easy accommodation of muddy paw prints tracked through the house and spaghetti tossed by the baby all over a beloved teddy bear. A link to the song on the publisher’s website is promoted on the cover.
Cheery and affirming. (Picture book. 1-4)Pub Date: May 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-257303-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2018
Take it, or leave it.
A wintertime story that can be sung to the tune of “The Itsy Bitsy Spider.”
The itsy bitsy snowman and his friends are playing in the snow. They climb up a snowy hill, jump on a sled, slide fast, and zip past children skating on ice. Then, though the text tells readers that he “dodged a snowball fight,” his head becomes separated from his body. Not to worry, “out came his friends / to lend a happy hand.” In the last spread the itsy bitsy snowman stands with his mom, dad, and friends, “And everything was perfect / in his winter wonderland.” The story, intended to be read to the tune of the beloved nursery rhyme, doesn’t always quite fit the template, as in: “The itsy bitsy snowman / climbed up the snowy hill. // He jumped on a sled / and slid fast…what a thrill!” For no obvious reason, on every page one word is printed in a different color from the rest of the text. Rescek’s illustrations are bright, cheery, and cartoonlike, with an appropriate wintry pale blue as the dominant color. Though sweet and cute, there is nothing particularly fresh or new here.
Take it, or leave it. (Board book. 1-2)Pub Date: Sept. 22, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4814-4837-6
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Part Are You My Mother? part The Odd Couple, all delightful.
A grumpy bear is a reluctant playmate to a persistent pack of baby goslings in an inescapable game of hide-and-seek.
Lovable, curmudgeonly Bruce, the scowling black bear of the Mother Bruce picture-book series, makes his second board-book appearance for younger readers, following 1 Grumpy Bruce (2018). The setup is simple: “The geese want to play with Bruce today. // Bruce does not want to play. / He’s going for a walk alone. Let’s join him!” The remainder of the book depicts Bruce’s unsuccessful attempts to elude his would-be sidekicks and his hilariously perturbed reactions when his diligent seekers find him at every turn. Bruce hides behind trees, tries to blend in with rocks, attempts to escape in a bubble bath, tries to slip away with a cup of his favorite warm beverage, and finally flees in desperation till he and his pursuers all collapse in exhaustion. The final caption reads, “Good night Bruce. Let’s play this game again tomorrow!” Refreshingly, Bruce’s grouchiness is not presented as a problem that needs to be fixed. Rather, Bruce plays the long-suffering straight man to the charmingly oblivious baby geese, whose unwavering affection for their disinclined companion is genuinely touching. The artwork, as in all the Mother Bruce books, is exquisite, in the same league as any of the great children’s classics: rich in detail, deft, smooth, elegant, and expressive.
Part Are You My Mother? part The Odd Couple, all delightful. (Board book. 1-4)Pub Date: July 23, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-368-02857-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: July 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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