Though its single-minded focus on success offers positive role modeling, it needs to be used with other, more realistic...
A toddler shares his glee at leaving diapers behind.
The book is completely child-focused, without an adult in sight. This youngster's independence influences each aspect of his toileting; he takes himself to the pot, and he uses a step stool to reach the sink to wash his hands after. There's no indication that any accidents may occur. The boy boasts, “When it's time, I know.” Brisk, rhyming phrases miss the mark. “Everyone uses the potty, / like me and Daddy and Mommy. / It's potty time, hooray! / I'm a big kid today.” With a little button nose and short spiky hair, the Caucasian tot is appealing. His favorite teddy bear plays the role of a loyal companion and even sits on his own potty just like the child. A die-cut–framed, battery-operated button (“flush me!”) triggers sound effects. Adults looking for a straightforward celebration of this milestone will gravitate toward this short selection, but there's no hint of the inevitable missteps young children face during the process.
Though its single-minded focus on success offers positive role modeling, it needs to be used with other, more realistic titles (and lots of patience). (Board book. 2-3)Pub Date: May 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-545-35080-8
Page Count: 10
Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 29, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Pick up a copy or two for the toddlers and toddler-fans in your life.
A celebration of what it is to be 2!
Toddlerhood often gets a bad rap—just think of the phrase “terrible twos.” But in O’Leary and Klassen’s hands, 2 is anything but terrible. Two is active, capable, vocal, compassionate, thoughtful, creative, determined…whole. Two is human in this picture book, and the narration’s direct address provides affirmation of toddlers’ human complexity and dignity from one spread to the next: “Now that you are two, you are learning about yesterday, today, and tomorrow. You are forming memories and making plans.” Accompanying illustrations depict a diverse range of children, different ones on each spread, which nicely avoids having any one depiction of toddlerhood falsely stand in as universal, who engage in activities that echo or expand on the text. Playful industriousness gives way to contemplative calm or mischievous determination, embodied in the faces and postures of the children. The dialectic between art and text offers some surprises, too, as when the line “Wherever you go your baby goes, too” is paired with a picture of a child in the bathtub—not with a baby doll but with a sudsy toy T. Rex.
Pick up a copy or two for the toddlers and toddler-fans in your life. (Picture book. 2)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-77147-073-5
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Owlkids Books
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet addition to the new-sibling bookshelf.
As mom’s belly gets bigger and bigger, a young child watches and wonders.
In this wordless Spanish import, a young child—just about the height of mom’s belly—goes about a typical toddler routine: playing with toys; pulling a little elephant along in a cart; peeking over the sofa to watch mom reading; brushing teeth; eating; going out—all the while keeping an eye on mom’s growing belly. At one point, intrigued enough, the child tucks a balloon under a striped T-shirt in mimicry. Eventually, an empty crib makes an appearance in the tot’s room, and the child can be seen feeling mom’s belly for movement. Soon enough, there’s a baby in the crib, and mom’s belly has flattened. In the last spread, instead of the toy elephant pulled in the first double-page spread, the new baby is being pulled along in the cart by a very proud-looking older sibling. The gentle, pastel-colored illustrations keep the focus squarely on the child. With no information offered beyond depictions of everyday scenes, the book allows little ones to provide their own narrative, and expecting parents can use it to encourage conversation on the upcoming event. Both mother and child are depicted with white skin and blond hair.
A sweet addition to the new-sibling bookshelf. (Board book. 2-3)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4338-3179-9
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Magination/American Psychological Association
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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