A pleasant bedtime tale and effortless read-aloud with a cuddly, quiet end.
It’s bedtime on the farm, but no one seems to want to sleep in the proper place.
“Snuggled in. / Snuggled down. / Bedtime on the farm.” Pig heads over to his sty. “But when he plopped down— / Moooo! / Who do you think he found?” Pig squeals at cow to get up and “Go sleep in your own bed!” Cow makes her sleepy way to her stall, but when she snuggles down…she sits on Hen! So Cow tells Hen to go sleep in her own bed. Hen sends Horse packing; Horse sends Sheep to her pen; Sheep sends Dog to his kennel; Dog chases Cat away. “ ‘Oh, drat,’ mewed Cat. / And she tiptoed to her spot, pittery-pat.” But when Cat settles down, she hears something very different: “Oh, there you are! Come sleep in my bed!” And the white child readers met at the beginning of the book and Cat snuggle down in the cozy, quilt-covered bed. Fleming pens a bedtime roundabout full of animal noises, quaintly rustic expostulations (“Oh, hayseeds”), crunchy verbs, and rhythmic nonsense suggesting onomatopoeic movement. Cow lows and tromps; Horse whickers and shambles. The patterned text will have children joining in with gusto. Nichols’ digitally colored acrylic illustrations in hues of blue and gray nicely suggest a sleepy, twilit farm.
A pleasant bedtime tale and effortless read-aloud with a cuddly, quiet end. (Picture book. 2-6)Pub Date: May 2, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-375-86648-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Jan. 31, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2017
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes.
A lift-the-flap book gives the littlest trick-or-treaters some practice identifying partygoers under their costumes.
Little Blue Truck and his buddy Toad are off to a party, and they invite readers (and a black cat) along for the ride: “ ‘Beep! Beep! Beep!’ / says Little Blue. / ‘It’s Halloween!’ / You come, too.” As they drive, they are surprised (and joined) by many of their friends in costume. “Who’s that in a tutu / striking a pose / up on the tiniest / tips of her toes? / Under the mask / who do you see?” Lifting the flap unmasks a friend: “ ‘Quack!’ says the duck. / ‘It’s me! It’s me!’ ” The sheep is disguised as a clown, the cow’s a queen, the pig’s a witch, the hen and her chick are pirates, and the horse is a dragon. Not to be left out, Little Blue has a costume, too. The flaps are large and sturdy, and enough of the animals’ characteristic features are visible under and around the costumes that little ones will be able to make successful guesses even on the first reading. Lovely curvy shapes and autumn colors fade to dusky blues as night falls, and children are sure to notice the traditional elements of a Halloween party: apple bobbing, lit jack-o’-lanterns, and punch and treats.
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-544-77253-3
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
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Innovative and thoroughly enjoyable.
You think you know shapes? Animals? Blend them together, and you might see them both a little differently!
What a mischievous twist on a concept book! With wordplay and a few groan-inducing puns, Neal creates connections among animals and shapes that are both unexpected and so seemingly obvious that readers might wonder why they didn’t see them all along. Of course, a “lazy turtle” meeting an oval would create the side-splitting combo of a “SLOW-VAL.” A dramatic page turn transforms a deeply saturated, clean-lined green oval by superimposing a head and turtle shell atop, with watery blue ripples completing the illusion. Minimal backgrounds and sketchy, impressionistic detailing keep the focus right on the zany animals. Beginning with simple shapes, the geometric forms become more complicated as the book advances, taking readers from a “soaring bird” that meets a triangle to become a “FLY-ANGLE” to a “sleepy lion” nonagon “YAWN-AGON.” Its companion text, Animal Colors, delves into color theory, this time creating entirely hybrid animals, such as the “GREEN WHION” with maned head and whale’s tail made from a “blue whale and a yellow lion.” It’s a compelling way to visualize color mixing, and like Animal Shapes, it’s got verve. Who doesn’t want to shout out that a yellow kangaroo/green moose blend is a “CHARTREUSE KANGAMOOSE”?
Innovative and thoroughly enjoyable. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: March 27, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4998-0534-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
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