Equal parts art and riddle and sophisticated in content and tone, this board book takes readers in unexpected directions....
With its opening words: “One of these things is almost like the others,” this striking, near-wordless book challenges readers to identify which object among a set of vehicles does not quite belong.
Composed of magenta, vibrant blue, and dark-purple stenciled images, the stylized vehicles and one imposter pop off each double-page spread, contrasting luminously with the white background. Thick cardboard pages with a silky texture and a slightly oversize trim add to the luxurious feel. Contraire has done a phenomenal job making the “sneaks” look so similar—who would have thought a honeybee could look so incredibly at home in a collection of helicopters? Each clever choice of misplaced object provokes thoughtful discussion on categorization. The artist plays with scale by placing an oversized baby stroller in a group of trucks, asking readers to puzzle out that while all have wheels and provide transport, one lacks a motor. A few pages aren’t so much brain teasers as they are whimsical fun, with an incongruent caterpillar inching along beside rows of trains or a toaster hidden among buses. The endpapers provide an answer key, a satisfying touch that ties the book together.
Equal parts art and riddle and sophisticated in content and tone, this board book takes readers in unexpected directions. Readers will want this book to “sneak” into their collections. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7148-7516-3
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Phaidon
Review Posted Online: Oct. 15, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2018
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
As with many holiday gifts, the sparkly packaging may interest toddlers more than what’s inside.
Readers can count down eight of Santa's reindeer as they jump up and out of the scene.
In each one of the mostly double-page spreads, one reindeer, from Dasher to Blitzen, plays a central role in a winter activity (sledding, ski jumping, ice skating—and soccer and yoga?) that launches the creature into the air. Glitter-speckled tabs, each with small portraits of a member of Santa's herd, appear at either the top or the right side of each page, which little fingers will enjoy flipping. In what looks to be pencil-and-watercolor cartoons, Rogers uses different facial expressions, as well as collars, bows or other accessories, to distinguish the reindeer from one another. Donner (not Donder) and Blitzen are squeezed together on the penultimate spread, likely to keep the page count down. The verse mostly scans, but the rhyme scheme has become the cliché of counting books: "Eight jolly reindeer / stretching up to heaven. / Up goes Dasher / and then there are... // Seven...." Santa, his iconic sleigh and the eight reindeer in flight make a dramatic and required appearance on the book's final double-page spread.
As with many holiday gifts, the sparkly packaging may interest toddlers more than what’s inside. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Aug. 10, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-545-65145-5
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 2, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
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