Toddlers may identify with Fletcher’s devotion to Elephant, but far more engaging stuffed-friend tales abound. Try them first
What does Fletcher’s elephant smell like?
After tea on Saturday, Fletcher notices that Elephant smells “different.” Usually Elephant smells like all the places he’s been recently…but not today. Fletcher goes off to seek some help in determining what Elephant smells of now. Mom says dirty socks. (Fletcher disagrees.) Dad says popcorn. (Fletcher disagrees again.) Fletcher also contradicts his sister, Iris, who, after making a crown of clovers for Elephant, thinks Elephant smells like clovers, and Fletcher disagrees with his best friend, Henry, who thinks Elephant just smells like Fletcher (a combination of honey, beetle wings, and rubber boots). Fletcher gives Elephant one more good sniff, takes everyone’s suggestions into account, and declares, “Elephant smells like hugs!” Tina Ballon DeBord’s wordy text is borderline precious; Fletcher’s olfactory quest with its twee denouement is not interesting enough to sustain the book. Kim Jackson DeBord’s washed-out watercolors over plain, black line drawings do not hold the eye and appear unfinished. The characters are all white as the paper they’re drawn on; Fletcher’s family members all have straight, black hair (Fletcher has a cowlick that makes him look like a chocolate kiss), and Henry’s hair is black and crinkly.
Toddlers may identify with Fletcher’s devotion to Elephant, but far more engaging stuffed-friend tales abound. Try them first . (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: April 15, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-58536-992-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2017
A nice but not requisite purchase.
A retelling of the classic fairy tale in board-book format and with a Mexican setting.
Though simplified for a younger audience, the text still relates the well-known tale: mean-spirited stepmother, spoiled stepsisters, overworked Cinderella, fairy godmother, glass slipper, charming prince, and, of course, happily-ever-after. What gives this book its flavor is the artwork. Within its Mexican setting, the characters are olive-skinned and dark-haired. Cultural references abound, as when a messenger comes carrying a banner announcing a “FIESTA” in beautiful papel picado. Cinderella is the picture of beauty, with her hair up in ribbons and flowers and her typically Mexican many-layered white dress. The companion volume, Snow White, set in Japan and illustrated by Misa Saburi, follows the same format. The simplified text tells the story of the beautiful princess sent to the forest by her wicked stepmother to be “done away with,” the dwarves that take her in, and, eventually, the happily-ever-after ending. Here too, what gives the book its flavor is the artwork. The characters wear traditional clothing, and the dwarves’ house has the requisite shoji screens, tatami mats and cherry blossoms in the garden. The puzzling question is, why the board-book presentation? Though the text is simplified, it’s still beyond the board-book audience, and the illustrations deserve full-size books.
A nice but not requisite purchase. (Board book/fairy tale. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-7915-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
More gift book than storybook, this is a meaningful addition to nursery bookshelves
A young child explores the unlimited potential inherent in all humans.
“Have you ever wondered why you are here?” asks the second-person narration. There is no one like you. Maybe you’re here to make a difference with your uniqueness; maybe you will speak for those who can’t or use your gifts to shine a light into the darkness. The no-frills, unrhymed narrative encourages readers to follow their hearts and tap into their limitless potential to be anything and do anything. The precisely inked and colored artwork plays with perspective from the first double-page spread, in which the child contemplates a mountain (or maybe an iceberg) in their hands. Later, they stand on a ladder to place white spots on tall, red mushrooms. The oversized flora and fauna seem to symbolize the presumptively insurmountable, reinforcing the book’s message that anything is possible. This quiet read, with its sophisticated central question, encourages children to reach for their untapped potential while reminding them it won’t be easy—they will make messes and mistakes—but the magic within can help overcome falls and failures. It’s unlikely that members of the intended audience have begun to wonder about their life’s purpose, but this life-affirming mood piece has honorable intentions. The child, accompanied by an adorable piglet and sporting overalls and a bird-beaked cap made of leaves, presents white.
More gift book than storybook, this is a meaningful addition to nursery bookshelves . (Picture book. 2-8)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-946873-75-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: May 21, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2019
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