A delightfully silly romp.
A gluttonous wolf eats several critters in this lift-the-flap offering.
A large black wolf with pointy ears and teeth looms over and stares down his prey on the recto of each spread. This page is also a gatefold; when it’s opened, readers see, spread by spread, a bird, a squirrel, a frog, and more travel into the wolf’s gullet, accompanied by the repeated refrain “CHOMP, CHOMP, down it went!” As the pages progress, the wolf’s belly grows larger after each subsequent meal. That all changes when the wolf consumes a hedgehog and the quills don’t agree with him. He soon vomits them up—all alive and well—and feels much better. Readers are encouraged to guess what the wolf should eat next from a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, despite his carnivorous nature, likely in an attempt to get readers to follow suit. While predatory eating may not sound like the most natural topic for board-book–reading toddlers, Baruzzi’s cartoons are lighthearted and playful. The simply rendered characters in bold colors are alive with cheeky expressions, and the silly repeated refrain echoes many a children’s classic. The gatefold flaps are sturdy despite the thinner-than-typical board pages.
A delightfully silly romp. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2020
ISBN: 978-988-8342-05-1
Page Count: 16
Publisher: minedition
Review Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2020
The small size, a predictable winter adventure, and Boynton’s very toddlerlike character make this a fine stocking stuffer...
Seven years after Little Pookie (2011) first appeared, this popular piglet is finally celebrating Christmas.
“Oh Pookie! Come look! It’s beginning to snow,” says a maternal-looking pig. But where did Pookie go? Past the Christmas tree, to put on a snowsuit of course. Pookie’s ever cheerful mama is willing to go out too. After all, “It’s a magical time to be walking with you.” When she observes, “Our noses are frozen. It’s time to go in,” Pookie protests in typical toddler style: “But I’m not c-c-c-cold!” The next three pages highlight indoor holiday preparations—making paper garlands, baking and decorating cookies. The rhyming text mirrors the spare illustrations. A spidery type that emulates handwriting makes it clear when Pookie is speaking. Then “the doorbell is ringing. / Our family and friends have arrived for the singing.” The second-to-last spread shows Pookie, mama, and six other pigs—and Boynton’s requisite chicken—singing (“Con brio”), “MER-RY CHRIST-MAS! MER-RY CHRIST-MAS! AND A HAP-PY NEW YEAR!” Conveniently, this text is placed beneath the musical notation. Finally Pookie hangs a stocking and goes off to bed without any fuss, anticipating presents on Christmas morning.
The small size, a predictable winter adventure, and Boynton’s very toddlerlike character make this a fine stocking stuffer or an ideal Christmas Eve read to share with other little piggies. (Board book. 18 mos.-3)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5344-3724-1
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 15, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2019
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BOOK REVIEW
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
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