The small size and detail-oriented pictures suit this sweet fabric bonbon to one-on-one sharing.
This diminutive board book of garden-themed nursery rhymes is illustrated with sewn fabric scenes.
Seven traditional nursery rhymes set in the garden are featured here, one to a spread. They range from well-known verses such as “Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary” and “Lavender Blue” to more obscure ones, like “Daffodil Song” and “I Had a Little Cherry Stone.” Beaton’s signature fabric illustrations are clearly meant to take center stage here. Each one is a scene carefully stitched and brought to life with small pieces of cloth and thread, lending them the old-fashioned charm of a sampler or quilt. Beaton’s style fits well with the traditional nursery-rhyme content, and adults will appreciate the creativity, skill and effort involved here. Little ones, on the other hand, may be less impressed by the illustrations—which are rather muted in comparison to the high-contrast lines and bold art that bring to life many of today’s board books—although they will certainly enjoy the rhythm and sounds of the selected verses. Beaton’s Animal Rhymes collects seven animal-related nursery rhymes with illustrations in the same distinctive style.
The small size and detail-oriented pictures suit this sweet fabric bonbon to one-on-one sharing. (Board book. 1-4)Pub Date: April 30, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-78285-081-6
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Barefoot Books
Review Posted Online: March 30, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
Leave the hopping to Peter Cottontail and sing the original song instead.
An Easter-themed board-book parody of the traditional nursery rhyme.
Unfortunately, this effort is just as sugary and uninspired as The Itsy Bitsy Snowman, offered by the same pair in 2015. A cheerful white bunny hops through a pastel world to distribute candy and treats for Easter but spills his baskets. A hedgehog, fox, mouse, and various birds come to the bunny’s rescue, retrieving the candy, helping to devise a distribution plan, and hiding the eggs. Then magically, they all fly off in a hot air balloon as the little animals in the village emerge to find the treats. Without any apparent purpose, the type changes color to highlight some words. For very young children every word is new, so highlighting “tiny tail” or “friends” makes no sense. Although the text is meant to be sung, the words don't quite fit the rhythm of the original song. Moreover, there are not clear motions to accompany the text; without the fingerplay movements, this book has none of the satisfying verve of the traditional version.
Leave the hopping to Peter Cottontail and sing the original song instead. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-5621-0
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Toddlers are better served by a chorus of the original, accompanied by the finger motions
Yet another remake of the classic fingerplay.
Burton and Rescek need to find a new song to parody or, better yet, come up with something original. As in earlier remakes—The Itsy Bitsy Pilgrim, The Istsy Bitsy Bunny, The Itsy Bitsy Reindeer (all 2016), and The Itsy Bitsy Snowman (2015)—the words are meant to be sung to the tune of the favorite nursery rhyme. In this outing, the rhymes work, but the meter is clunky. Rescek’s characters are cheery enough as they celebrate the transition from winter to spring. The question is why ducklings should replace spiders. “Down came the rain and chased the snow away” is simply not as satisfying as “washed the spider out.” The elements of danger, pluck, and mastery inherent in the original song are missing, as are the actions. A scene of anthropomorphic animals of different species sharing a den confuses rather than enlightens. There is no clear change from winter to spring; the color palette throughout is bright and springlike, and the duckling is about as realistic as an Easter Peep. Sturdy board pages may stand up to lots of handling, but young children are unlikely to ask for it more than once.
Toddlers are better served by a chorus of the original, accompanied by the finger motions . (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 17, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4814-8655-2
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 13, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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