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BLUE VS. YELLOW

Name: BLUE VS. YELLOW
Author: Tom Sullivan
ISBN: 978-0-06-245295-5

by Tom Sullivan ; illustrated by Tom Sullivan ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 10, 2017

Minor flaws aside, the book presents color blending in an entertaining way.

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Two circles of different colors compete to prove each is the best in the latest from the creator of I Used to Be a Fish (2016).

Blue shows that it is associated with first-place ribbons, the moon, caterpillars, frogs, etc. (Kids may wonder about some of the choices.) Yellow proudly displays a crown, trophy, and school bus. The first asserts that it “is the only color that has its own music,” while the second responds, “but the instruments are yellow.” Details on the Photoshopped circles and other images are drawn with Sharpies, and the compositions range from scattered items on a page to more-compelling double-page spreads contrasting the fastest (a cheetah) with the largest (a whale). Eventually two vehicles collide and form green. Just as they decide that they are “best…TOGETHER!” a red stop sign appears. Although red starts to make a pitch, before the conversation can get rolling in earnest, a primary-hued rainbow concludes the story. Those learning colors and vocabulary will enjoy the conflict and concepts, but literal-minded children may be bothered by the need to suspend disbelief about basic objects, some of which are questionable examples, while others are arbitrary.

Minor flaws aside, the book presents color blending in an entertaining way. (Picture book. 2-5)

Pub Date: Oct. 10, 2017

ISBN: 978-0-06-245295-5

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: July 16, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS

- BOOK REVIEW
ESCAPE AT 10,000 FEET
by Tom Sullivan ; illustrated by Tom Sullivan

- BOOK REVIEW
OUT THERE
by Tom Sullivan ; illustrated by Tom Sullivan

- BOOK REVIEW
I USED TO BE A FISH
by Tom Sullivan ; illustrated by Tom Sullivan

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HELLO ROBOTS!

From the Hello…! series

by Joan Holub ; illustrated by Chris Dickason ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 22, 2019

Good for a giggle from preschool readers despite its slight imperfections.

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A brightly illustrated story told in rhyme about mixed-up robots getting ready for the day.

Holub and Dickason team up for another title echoing the style of their similarly formatted Hello Knights! and Hello Ninjas! (both 2018). Here, the titular robots are having trouble getting ready for the day. They put socks on top of shoes and even forget how to eat their cereal, pouring milk on their heads and flipping their bowls upside down on the table. The confusion comes to a climax in a double gatefold in which the robots realize that they need a reboot, correcting their routines. Young readers will delight in the silliness: underpants on heads, bathing in clothes. Holub’s rhyming text works well for the most part and includes some charming turns of phrase, such as “brushing bolts” in place of brushing teeth. Dickason’s illustrations use a consistent palette of mostly primary colors and feature 1960s-style robots drawn with antennae, motherboards on boxy chests, and wheels for feet. The pages are busy and packed, allowing for new discoveries upon each read, though this busyness argues for use with older toddlers. It’s not entirely clear where the robots are headed (school?) or whether or not they’re also ETs (they fly away on a spaceship), but the story is fun enough to overlook those muddled details.

Good for a giggle from preschool readers despite its slight imperfections. (Board book. 2-4)

Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-5344-1871-4

Page Count: 26

Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: March 2, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2019

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS

- BOOK REVIEW
FART BOY AND REEKY DOG
by Joan Holub ; illustrated by Rafael Rosado ; color by John Novak

- BOOK REVIEW
BEARS ARE BEST!
by Joan Holub ; illustrated by Laurie Keller

- BOOK REVIEW
BIG STUFF DOZER, EXCAVATOR, MIXER & MORE!
by Joan Holub ; illustrated by The Little Friends of Printmaking

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YOUR BABY'S FIRST WORD WILL BE DADA

by Jimmy Fallon ; illustrated by Miguel Ordóñez ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 9, 2015

Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it.

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A succession of animal dads do their best to teach their young to say “Dada” in this picture-book vehicle for Fallon.

A grumpy bull says, “DADA!”; his calf moos back. A sad-looking ram insists, “DADA!”; his lamb baas back. A duck, a bee, a dog, a rabbit, a cat, a mouse, a donkey, a pig, a frog, a rooster, and a horse all fail similarly, spread by spread. A final two-spread sequence finds all of the animals arrayed across the pages, dads on the verso and children on the recto. All the text prior to this point has been either iterations of “Dada” or animal sounds in dialogue bubbles; here, narrative text states, “Now everybody get in line, let’s say it together one more time….” Upon the turn of the page, the animal dads gaze round-eyed as their young across the gutter all cry, “DADA!” (except the duckling, who says, “quack”). Ordóñez's illustrations have a bland, digital look, compositions hardly varying with the characters, although the pastel-colored backgrounds change. The punch line fails from a design standpoint, as the sudden, single-bubble chorus of “DADA” appears to be emanating from background features rather than the baby animals’ mouths (only some of which, on close inspection, appear to be open). It also fails to be funny.

Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it. (Picture book. 3-5)