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JUST THE WAY YOU ARE

From the Emma Dodd's Love You Books series

A delightful offering that will be especially welcome as a gift for baby showers and new parents.

A doting parent offers tender assurances to a tiny child.

An adult tiger vows that they will be everlastingly devoted to their baby and at their side in every circumstance, under all conditions, no matter what, no matter when—and without the child’s having to change for any reason…ever. The pair, whose genders are unspecified, are endearingly depicted very close to each other, their bodies often entwined, over the course of a day and night. The enraptured cub listens carefully, taking the warm, comforting, empowering message to heart, not missing a word as the pair explore their habitat, reinforcing the idea of togetherness close to home and farther afield. Loving words like these from parents to children can’t be said often enough—and children can’t hear such esteem-building confidences often enough. The tiger’s soothing words are delivered in gentle, lilting verse. The very sweet illustrations, created digitally, depict this appealing duo expressively; especially charming are scenes of the pair captured beneath a starry night sky. Though there’s little new here, parent-child affirmations are always welcome. Grown-ups sharing this title shouldn’t be surprised if their own offspring want to hear it more than once. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A delightful offering that will be especially welcome as a gift for baby showers and new parents. (Picture book. 1-3)

Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-5362-2665-2

Page Count: 24

Publisher: Templar/Candlewick

Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2022

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SPOOKY POOKIE

A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character.

One of Boynton's signature characters celebrates Halloween.

It's Halloween time, and Pookie the pig is delighted. Mom helps the little porker pick out the perfect Halloween costume, a process that spans the entire board book. Using an abcb rhyme scheme, Boynton dresses Pookie in a series of cheerful costumes, including a dragon, a bunny, and even a caped superhero. Pookie eventually settles on the holiday classic, a ghost, by way of a bedsheet. Boynton sprinkles in amusing asides to her stanzas as Pookie offers costume commentary ("It's itchy"; "It's hot"; "I feel silly"). Little readers will enjoy the notion of transforming themselves with their own Halloween costumes while reading this book, and a few parents may get some ideas as well. Boynton's clean, sharp illustrations are as good as ever. This is Pookie's first holiday title, but readers will surely welcome more.

A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character. (Board book. 1-3)

Pub Date: July 7, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-553-51233-5

Page Count: 18

Publisher: Robin Corey/Random

Review Posted Online: July 26, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016

Categories:
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EEK! HALLOWEEN!

An excellent, rounded effort from a creator who knows how to deliver.

The farmyard's chickens experience Halloween.

A round, full moon shines in the sky, and the chickens of Boynton's barnyard are feeling “nervous.” Pumpkins shine “with flickering eyes,” witches and wizards wander the pastures, and one chicken has seen “a mouse of enormous size.” It’s Halloween night, and readers will delight as the chickens huddle together and try to figure out what's going on. All ends well, of course, and in Boynton's trademark silly style. (It’s really quite remarkable how her ranks of white, yellow-beaked chickens evoke rows of candy corn.) At this point parents and children know what they're in for when they pick up a book by the prolific author, and she doesn't disappoint here. The chickens are silly, the pigs are cute, and the coloring and illustrations evoke a warmth that little ones wary of Halloween will appreciate. For children leery of the ghouls and goblins lurking in the holiday's iconography, this is a perfect antidote, emphasizing all the fun Halloween has to offer.

An excellent, rounded effort from a creator who knows how to deliver. (Board book. 1-3)

Pub Date: Aug. 23, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-7611-9300-5

Page Count: 24

Publisher: Workman

Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017

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