An engrossing, luscious board book that’s sure to become a staple.
A tiger makes some friends.
“ONE sad tiger” sits alone at the beginning of this board book, but as little ones turn the pages, the furry beast explores the jungle and makes several friends. The tiger pals around with birds, insects, fish, and other tiny (at least in comparison to the tiger) jungle critters, counting them up from “TWO bright bugs” to “NINE splishy fish” and “TEN little friends.” Rayner’s watercolor illustrations are beautiful, creating lush scenes with a deep color palette that makes each turn of the page a surprise. The book is set in a hardcover binding, helping it stand out on the shelf. The one-to-10 counting structure makes this title endearingly rereadable, which adults will certainly find themselves happy to do. The tiger is just as curious and playful as the little ones reading about its adventures, making this title all the more appealing. The illustrations are taken from Rayner’s Augustus and His Smile (2006), a book whose visuals far outshone its text; their adaptation to this format with its very simple storyline makes this one of those rare successful transformations of picture book to board book. The tininess of some of the figures offered for counting marks this for older babies and toddlers.
An engrossing, luscious board book that’s sure to become a staple. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5892-5234-9
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: March 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character.
One of Boynton's signature characters celebrates Halloween.
It's Halloween time, and Pookie the pig is delighted. Mom helps the little porker pick out the perfect Halloween costume, a process that spans the entire board book. Using an abcb rhyme scheme, Boynton dresses Pookie in a series of cheerful costumes, including a dragon, a bunny, and even a caped superhero. Pookie eventually settles on the holiday classic, a ghost, by way of a bedsheet. Boynton sprinkles in amusing asides to her stanzas as Pookie offers costume commentary ("It's itchy"; "It's hot"; "I feel silly"). Little readers will enjoy the notion of transforming themselves with their own Halloween costumes while reading this book, and a few parents may get some ideas as well. Boynton's clean, sharp illustrations are as good as ever. This is Pookie's first holiday title, but readers will surely welcome more.
A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: July 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-553-51233-5
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Robin Corey/Random
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An excellent, rounded effort from a creator who knows how to deliver.
The farmyard's chickens experience Halloween.
A round, full moon shines in the sky, and the chickens of Boynton's barnyard are feeling “nervous.” Pumpkins shine “with flickering eyes,” witches and wizards wander the pastures, and one chicken has seen “a mouse of enormous size.” It’s Halloween night, and readers will delight as the chickens huddle together and try to figure out what's going on. All ends well, of course, and in Boynton's trademark silly style. (It’s really quite remarkable how her ranks of white, yellow-beaked chickens evoke rows of candy corn.) At this point parents and children know what they're in for when they pick up a book by the prolific author, and she doesn't disappoint here. The chickens are silly, the pigs are cute, and the coloring and illustrations evoke a warmth that little ones wary of Halloween will appreciate. For children leery of the ghouls and goblins lurking in the holiday's iconography, this is a perfect antidote, emphasizing all the fun Halloween has to offer.
An excellent, rounded effort from a creator who knows how to deliver. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Aug. 23, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-7611-9300-5
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Workman
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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