Disappointing.
Is it a puppet? Is it a book? It’s both.
Extra-thick pages and a small trim size make this novelty book appealing to toddlers. The baby dinosaur finger puppet that pokes through the center hole is made out of a diamond-patterned turquoise fabric with a stitched-on smile on its face. It is utterly charming, though it is also pictured with yellow felt spikes running down its back, a physical feature this species of dinosaur did not have. The slight story (primarily one sentence per spread) describes Baby T. Rex’s attempts to be “the biggest baddest dino ever!” Confusingly, the finger puppet is static—and perpetually smiling. The dark backgrounds in the book make it difficult to see or imagine her actions. When she stomps her feet, only her head moves. Her roar is silent. Grandpa T. Rex is certainly fierce-looking, but his dark body is difficult to distinguish from an equally dark background. Sadly, all of the baby dinosaur’s practice at ferocity is for naught. The book ends with her apologizing to Grandpa and going to sleep. Companion book Baby Yeti follows a similar format. The yeti is white with a turquoise face and sparkly gold horns. But the yeti, referred to as “he,” has a more active role—building a snow castle, skating, and sledding. Taken together, they deliver a possibly unintentional message about the agency of males and the lack of such for females.
Disappointing. (Novelty board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 28, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-7972-0567-0
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2021
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An upbeat early book on feelings with a simple storyline that little ones will respond to.
This simplified version of Diesen and Hanna’s The Pout-Pout Fish (2008) is appropriate for babies and toddlers.
Brief, rhyming text tells the story of a sullen fish cheered up with a kiss. A little pink sea creature pokes his head out of a hole in the sea bottom to give the gloomy fish some advice: “Smile, Mr. Fish! / You look so down // With your glum-glum face / And your pout-pout frown.” He explains that there’s no reason to be worried, scared, sad or mad and concludes: “How about a smooch? / And a cheer-up wish? // Now you look happy: / What a smile, Mr. Fish!” Simple and sweet, this tale offers the lesson that sometimes, all that’s needed for a turnaround in mood is some cheer and encouragement to change our perspective. The clean, uncluttered illustrations are kept simple, except for the pout-pout fish’s features, which are delightfully expressive. Little ones will easily recognize and likely try to copy the sad, scared and angry looks that cross the fish’s face.
An upbeat early book on feelings with a simple storyline that little ones will respond to. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-374-37084-8
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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