Already a gifted artist, McPhail proves here that he intrinsically understands what the youngest readers want and need.
A lovely, toddler-friendly tale of a little boy’s relationship with his teddy bear.
Each page uses two- or three-word sentences and quiet scenes to express Ben and Bear’s daily life and mutual affection. The inseparable duo engages in familiar activities, such as hide-and-seek, getting dressed and sandbox play. “Ben tickles Bear. Bear laughs. / Bear does tricks. Ben laughs, too.” While Bear is undoubtedly a stuffed toy, the teddy interacts with Ben as a fully realized playmate and companion. McPhail, in top form here, has created soft watercolors with rounded lines that adroitly capture Ben's toddler movements. The artist's use of full spreads and smaller visual vignettes spotlighted in hazy, round borders gives the simple, easy-reader–like text rhythm and balance.
Already a gifted artist, McPhail proves here that he intrinsically understands what the youngest readers want and need. (Board book. 18 mos.-3)Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4197-0386-7
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Abrams Appleseed
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2013
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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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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