Overly ambitious and too busy; the counting is overshadowed. Count this one out.
A counting board book illustrated with nature collages.
A row of 10 die-cut eggs across the front hints at the game within. Each spread follows the same format: On the left are a numeral, the number spelled out, and the word “eggs”; a parent animal guarding the eggs; and a one- or two-line riddle about that animal. Another hint can be found in the eyes or tails seen through small die-cut holes in the flap on the right. Lift the flap to find the answer along with a brief animal fact and sometimes another conversational question. Children at the older end of the recommended age range will quickly learn the pattern. Younger toddlers will quickly tear the rather thin flaps. The first five egg-laying critters are birds (flamingo, hen, owl, hummingbird, and duck). The sixth and seventh are crocodiles and chameleons, which are shown approximately the same size. The eighth, octopus, is a confusing choice, as the eggs are neither easily recognizable nor labeled (eight elongated, white ovals hang from a rock; in reality, there would be dozens). Nine is a tortoise. For 10, caterpillar eggs (again, not to scale) are shown on the left with the caterpillars on the right; the flap reveals 10 butterflies to count with no mention of the pupa stage). The final spread arranges all the critters on a number chart.
Overly ambitious and too busy; the counting is overshadowed. Count this one out. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Feb. 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-14654-7866-5
Page Count: 24
Publisher: DK Publishing
Review Posted Online: March 2, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An excellent, rounded effort from a creator who knows how to deliver.
The farmyard's chickens experience Halloween.
A round, full moon shines in the sky, and the chickens of Boynton's barnyard are feeling “nervous.” Pumpkins shine “with flickering eyes,” witches and wizards wander the pastures, and one chicken has seen “a mouse of enormous size.” It’s Halloween night, and readers will delight as the chickens huddle together and try to figure out what's going on. All ends well, of course, and in Boynton's trademark silly style. (It’s really quite remarkable how her ranks of white, yellow-beaked chickens evoke rows of candy corn.) At this point parents and children know what they're in for when they pick up a book by the prolific author, and she doesn't disappoint here. The chickens are silly, the pigs are cute, and the coloring and illustrations evoke a warmth that little ones wary of Halloween will appreciate. For children leery of the ghouls and goblins lurking in the holiday's iconography, this is a perfect antidote, emphasizing all the fun Halloween has to offer.
An excellent, rounded effort from a creator who knows how to deliver. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Aug. 23, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-7611-9300-5
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Workman
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
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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