A solid introduction to deserts that will also help small children develop alphabet knowledge.
Take an abecedarian journey through the world’s arid regions.
The cover of this board book promises “A DESERT ABC PRIMER” and the contents deliver with straightforward entries such as “A IS FOR ARMADILLO” and “B IS FOR BEDROCK.” While no specific deserts are named, context clues lead readers around the world from the deserts of Australia (“K IS FOR KANGAROO”; “T IS FOR THORNY DEVIL”; “W IS FOR WALLABY”) to the American Southwest (“J IS FOR JOSHUA TREE”; “Y IS FOR YUCCA”) to the Middle East (“F IS FOR FENNEC FOX”; “N IS FOR NOMADS”). Some of the items will be unfamiliar to children, so the lack of a glossary is unfortunate. Readers may erroneously conclude that “XERIC” refers to the plant centered in the accompanying illustration; “X IS FOR XEROPHYTE” would have been more appropriate. Although many desert animals are more active at night when it is cooler, no night scenes are depicted; however, the “U IS FOR UNDERGROUND” spread shows several animals in burrows avoiding the heat. The illustrations are rendered in a simple vector art style and portray almost all of the friendly-looking animals (some of whom aren’t named in the text) facing the reader, as if seeking interaction. Alas, on some spreads, the white font gets all but lost in the pale desert sky. This book should succeed in awakening the reader’s inner explorer and may leave children primed for deeper plunges. (The book was reviewed digitally.)
A solid introduction to deserts that will also help small children develop alphabet knowledge. (Informational board book. 1-4)Pub Date: March 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-64170-558-5
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Familius
Review Posted Online: Dec. 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A cheery board book to reinforce the oneness of babykind.
Ten babies in 10 countries greet friends in almost 10 languages.
Countries of origin are subtly identified. For example, on the first spread, NYC is emblazoned on a blond, white baby’s hat as well as a brown baby’s scoot-car taxi. On the next spread, “Mexico City” is written on a light brown toddler’s bike. A flag in each illustration provides another hint. However, the languages are not named, so on first reading, the fine but important differences between Spanish and Portuguese are easily missed. This is also a problem on pages showing transliterated Arabic from Cairo and Afrikaans from Cape Town. Similarly, Chinese and Japanese are transliterated, without use of traditional hànzì or kanji characters. British English is treated as a separate language, though it is, after all, still English. French (spoken by 67 million people) is included, but German, Russian, and Hindi (spoken by 101 million, 145 million, and 370 million respectively) are not. English translations are included in a slightly smaller font. This world survey comes full circle, ending in San Francisco with a beige baby sleeping in an equally beige parent’s arms. The message of diversity is reinforced by images of three babies—one light brown, one medium brown, one white—in windows on the final spread.
A cheery board book to reinforce the oneness of babykind. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: April 4, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-938093-87-6
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Duo Press
Review Posted Online: April 25, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Don’t judge this book by its cover; there’s an unusual concept and whimsical illustrations hiding underneath
A series of solid shapes substitute for natural objects in this board book that is somewhere between concept book and riddle game.
What’s that shape supposed to be? Running across a rust-brown labeled triangle, amid trees and elk, the text “Climb a TRIANGLE to the top” suggests the shape is a mountain; in an ocean scene with a red “STAR washed in on the waves,” the shape implies a sea star. Ample visual cues give young readers enough context to guess what the shape evokes, with some unexpected touches, such as “HEXAGON” printed on hexagonal honeycombs buzzing with bees and surrounded by golden flowers. Short, commanding sentences keep things humming, but with only six shapes covered, the book feels all too brief. Illustrator Devernay combines delicate pencil line drawings and sketchy gray-black shading with tiny, meticulously cut colored-paper collage to create her plants and animals. The most intimate drawings amaze. Close-ups of smooth stones are so appealing that readers will long to pick one up and “rub a smooth OVAL between thumb and finger.” Sadly, the cover doesn’t do the interior justice, and things get murky when several hues mix there and on the final spread. But on other spreads, where there’s a single color, it pops against the gray, such as the minute yellow beaks on the flock of charcoal birds circling the yellow “CIRCLE” sun.
Don’t judge this book by its cover; there’s an unusual concept and whimsical illustrations hiding underneath . (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: March 13, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-56846-317-9
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Creative Editions/Creative Company
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
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