Readers may well enjoy the colorful (if repetitive) illustrations and lifting the flaps even though there isn’t much point...
In this lift-the-flap book, the titular squirrel has hidden all of his acorns and needs assistance finding them.
Readers help the squirrel find his well-hidden acorns via color and number cues. The book progresses color by color and also sequentially as the squirrel searches for one red acorn, then two yellow acorns, and so on. Gaggiotti’s digital illustrations are charming—especially of the sneaky, snacky squirrel and his bird friends—but page to page, there is little variation to hold readers’ interest. The tree appears on each spread but remains mostly the same. The background color behind the text offers the most dramatic difference from a design perspective. The flaps are difficult to see and vary in placement from scene to scene, which is perhaps part of the challenge. Though the text asks readers to find a specific number and color of acorns, there are not multiple colors or differences in numbers from which readers can choose to guide them to the “correct” choices vis-à-vis the decoys. For example, on one spread, the choice is simply between an acorn and a piece of pizza. If readers coincidentally find the acorn or acorns first, there is no need to look under other flaps. The book doesn’t allow readers to explore the differences among colors and quantities, which robs it of some of its developmental oomph.
Readers may well enjoy the colorful (if repetitive) illustrations and lifting the flaps even though there isn’t much point to what’s underneath them. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7636-9465-4
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Candlewick Entertainment
Review Posted Online: Nov. 21, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2018
Perfect for Valentine’s Day, but the syrupy sweetness will cloy after the holiday.
Animal parents declare their love for their offspring in alphabetical order.
Each page displays an enormous capital letter, one line of verse with the keyword capitalized, and a loving nonhuman parent gazing adoringly at their baby. “A is for Always. I always love you more. / B is for Butterfly kisses. It’s you that I adore.” While not named or labelled as such, the A is also for an alligator and its hatchling and B is for a butterfly and a butterfly child (not a caterpillar—biology is not the aim of this title) interacting in some way with the said letter. For E there are an elephant and a calf; U features a unicorn and foal; and X, keyed to the last letter of the animal’s name, corresponds to a fox and three pups. The final double-page spread shows all the featured creatures and their babies as the last line declares: “Baby, I love you from A to Z!” The verse is standard fare and appropriately sentimental. The art is cartoony-cute and populated by suitably loving critters on solid backgrounds. Hearts accent each scene, but the theme of the project is never in any doubt.
Perfect for Valentine’s Day, but the syrupy sweetness will cloy after the holiday. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-7282-2095-6
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2021
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
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