The novelty of the finger puppet is the slight story’s highlight.
A finger-puppet book depicts the nocturnal activities of a baby raccoon.
This very small (4.25 inches square) board book with extra-thick pages features a sewn fabric raccoon finger puppet that sticks through a circular diecut in the center of each page. This makes the raccoon’s head and neck somewhat movable on each page as the face fits into the illustrations. The puppet itself is surprisingly detailed and quite charming, with black-and-white detailing against the gray body and embroidered eyes and a nose. Readers meet Baby Raccoon at sunset and follow along on his nighttime prowl as he forages, plays, and climbs a tree. Most of the details in the book appear to be factually correct about raccoons, with the exception of its promulgation of the whimsical and widely misunderstood notion that raccoons “wash their food in the stream” before eating it. The text itself is very simple and descriptive of the action on each page, making for appropriate but not particularly exciting pacing. The progression from sunset to sunrise is clearly represented in the backgrounds. The puppet is fun, but its wide-eyed expression cannot change. That said, older infants and toddlers will enjoy engaging with the little critter as a caregiver's finger animates it. Companion titles Baby Fox and Little Love Bug follow in a similar style, though with even less adherence to fact. The nocturnal fox is shown eating and playing during the day, and the love bug is mostly a parent-child love story.
The novelty of the finger puppet is the slight story’s highlight. (Board book/novelty. 6 mos.-2)Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4521-7080-0
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2020
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.
A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.
Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
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