Dramatic and accessible for new readers.
Fox’s adventure—going out to sea in a box equipped with a sail—is exciting and easy to read.
Ivinson tells her story in 46 simple words. Five or fewer words appear on each double-page spread in a generous font set against the bright seaside scenes of Fox’s exploits. While other animals seem to have real boats, small dinghies in which they are messing about on the ocean, Fox has only a box. Fox has an expressive face, bright reddish-orange fur, and a big bushy tail, and they sport a blue-striped sailor shirt without pants. Determined to set sail, Fox pushes out to sea, bushy tail for a rudder, just as dark clouds brew into a storm. A small mouse goes along for the voyage. Ivinson’s full-color acrylic-paint artwork calls attention to itself in an interesting way, reproduced so that brush strokes and the grain and texture of canvas are clearly shown. One effect is to encourage viewers to slow down, though another is to create a slightly static feel in what is clearly a lively adventure. Still, the paintings of storm, waves, and the small boat and occupants alone on a vast expanse of sea are pretty thrilling, as is the rescue by a big blue whale, and varying perspectives keep the action going.
Dramatic and accessible for new readers. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: May 21, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-06-284287-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
For toddlers unafraid of typical Halloween imagery.
A troop of cats traverse a spooky landscape as they make their way to a party hosted by ghosts.
Each double-page spread shows the felines’ encounters with the likes of an owl, jack-o’-lanterns or a bat. One or two of these creepy meetings may be too abstract for the youngest readers, as the cats hear eerie noises with no discernible source on the page. The text, which consists of one rhyming couplet per scene, mostly scans despite a couple of wobbles: “Five black cats get a bit of a scare / As the flip-flapping wings of a bat fill the air.” The sleek, slightly retro art, likely created using a computer, depicts the cats cavorting at night through a shadowy cityscape, the countryside and a haunted house; they may scare some toddlers and delight others. A brighter color palette would have given the project a friendlier, more universal appeal. Luckily, the well-lit, final party scene provides a playful conclusion.
For toddlers unafraid of typical Halloween imagery. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-58925-611-8
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: Sept. 24, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2014
Fun format; bland text.
A hefty board book filled with ruminations on the nature of love.
While love is the topic of this board book, it’s the inventive gatefolds and charmingly vintage illustrations that readers will fall for. Brimming with sweeping declarations along the lines of “Love is / strong. // You have my back and I’ll always have yours,” the text sounds like a series of greeting cards strung together. It’s benign enough, but are most toddlers interested in generic proclamations about love? Some statements, like the ones on “unsinkable” hippos or a panda parent holding a cub “steady,” could introduce new vocabulary. At least there’s plenty of winsome critters to fawn over as the surprisingly sturdy flaps tell dramatic little ministories for each cartoon-style animal species. A downcast baby giraffe looks longingly up at a too-high tasty branch; lift a flap to bring an adult giraffe—and the delicacy—down to the baby, or watch an adventurous young fox retreat into a fold-down–flap burrow to learn that “my heart will always be home with you.” At points, the pages are tricky to turn in the correct order, but clever touches, like a series of folds that slow readers down to a sloth’s speed, make up for it. The book concludes with a gatefold revealing a vibrant playground populated with racially and ethnically diverse humans; two are wheelchair users.
Fun format; bland text. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4197-3153-2
Page Count: 84
Publisher: Abrams Appleseed
Review Posted Online: Dec. 24, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2021
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