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VIP

VERY IMPORTANT PRESCHOOLER

Sweetly empowering.

A look at classroom jobs found in a preschool.

A sign posted on the bulletin board reads “VIP Week”—readers learn that VIP stands for “Very Important Preschooler.” Five diverse tots bask in the glory of their big responsibilities. A brown-skinned child is the greeter: “I wave and say hello / to each friend who walks in. / A bad morning mood / can always change with a grin.” Another brown-skinned child, this one using a wheelchair, is the line leader. “It’s my job to lead the class / and stay quiet in the halls. / I watch and wait and keep the pace / so that nobody falls.” The days of the week carry the narrative forward as each child describes their job. With oversize heads and wide, curious eyes, these young tots look eager to learn. Most images are cropped tight so there is not much school setting shown; readers never even see the teacher. But VIPs are encouraged to be kind and helpful, two important preschool (and human) readiness skills; this tale will reassure little ones, who often feel powerless, that they have much to offer: “We’re all VIPs in more ways than one— / there are many things you can do!” (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Sweetly empowering. (Board book. 1-3)

Pub Date: June 28, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-66591-757-5

Page Count: 16

Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2022

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SMILE, POUT-POUT FISH

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

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TRICK OR TREAT, POUT-POUT FISH

From the Pout-Pout Fish Mini Adventure series

Another branded entry that offers little beyond the minimum requirements.

The Pout-Pout Fish brand expands.

Halloween is here, and Mr. Pout-Pout Fish is giving out treats from his submarine home. Those familiar with the blue striped fish will find the usual uncluttered illustrations and rhyming scheme (“Who’s at the helm / of the spooky submarine? // It’s you, Mr. Fish! / Have a happy Halloween!”). New readers may be drawn in by the colorful costumes the various fish wear as they trick-or-treat along the ocean floor. Keen-eyed readers with some pumpkin-carving experience may wonder how a jack-o’-lantern can be lit under water. This board book is a fairly standard look at Halloween, putting a popular character in common holiday trappings and adding nothing else. Fans of the holiday will have to look elsewhere for a more exciting take on Halloween’s thrills.

Another branded entry that offers little beyond the minimum requirements. (Board book. 1-3)

Pub Date: Aug. 9, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-374-30191-0

Page Count: 12

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Review Posted Online: Aug. 29, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017

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