For new siblings who are pretty solid in knowing their body parts.
Andreae and Dodd continue to explore family relationships (I Love My Mommy, 2011; I Love My Daddy, 2012) with this look at the towheaded toddler’s love for his new sibling.
The young boy’s adoration for the new addition is obvious from the start. Readers follow the boy and his loving parents as they dress the baby, drive to a pool to swim, get dried off and eat, go for a walk, give the baby a bath, and tuck the wee one into bed. Along the way, the boy counts all the parts the baby has: “two little cheeks on one little bum,” “eight squashy knuckles,” and “one kissy mouth” being just a few. But although Dodd’s signature illustrations are as adorable and child-friendly as ever, not all the body parts counted in the text can be found in the pictures, making this a frustrating read for those eager to point them out to their own loving adults or siblings. For instance, the baby’s mouth is an upward, lipless swoosh, the baby’s head is turned so only one ear shows, and all of the mentioned parts are under a blanket when the baby is ensconced in the carriage. Plus, younger readers may not know chest, ankles, and hips. Children familiar with the other two titles may fruitlessly look for the boy’s purple stuffed duck in every illustration—it only appears in half of them.
For new siblings who are pretty solid in knowing their body parts. (Picture book. 2-4)Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4847-2230-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Sept. 20, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2015
Innovative and thoroughly enjoyable.
You think you know shapes? Animals? Blend them together, and you might see them both a little differently!
What a mischievous twist on a concept book! With wordplay and a few groan-inducing puns, Neal creates connections among animals and shapes that are both unexpected and so seemingly obvious that readers might wonder why they didn’t see them all along. Of course, a “lazy turtle” meeting an oval would create the side-splitting combo of a “SLOW-VAL.” A dramatic page turn transforms a deeply saturated, clean-lined green oval by superimposing a head and turtle shell atop, with watery blue ripples completing the illusion. Minimal backgrounds and sketchy, impressionistic detailing keep the focus right on the zany animals. Beginning with simple shapes, the geometric forms become more complicated as the book advances, taking readers from a “soaring bird” that meets a triangle to become a “FLY-ANGLE” to a “sleepy lion” nonagon “YAWN-AGON.” Its companion text, Animal Colors, delves into color theory, this time creating entirely hybrid animals, such as the “GREEN WHION” with maned head and whale’s tail made from a “blue whale and a yellow lion.” It’s a compelling way to visualize color mixing, and like Animal Shapes, it’s got verve. Who doesn’t want to shout out that a yellow kangaroo/green moose blend is a “CHARTREUSE KANGAMOOSE”?
Innovative and thoroughly enjoyable. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: March 27, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4998-0534-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Pure unmitigated sleepy-time pleasure.
Klassen’s inimitable blend of cozy and curious is on flagrant display in this tale of personalized forest management.
“This is your sun. It is coming up for you.” Klassen allows the youngest of readers to put together a beguiling woodland scene. Each object in the forest is bedecked with the deadpan eyes the artist is known for. Like other titles in the series, this one presents typical items (trees, rocks, a stream), but it distinguishes itself by including a solitary forest ghost who “is nice. He only comes out at night.” It’s a tiny yet whimsical detail that imbues the tale with an enchanting sense of unpredictability. When day shifts to night, readers are assured that “this is your forest. Now it is done.” The sun sinks, and they’re treated to a surreal scene as all the items appear to doze off: “Now everyone is closing their eyes.” Happily, the ghost has a brief solo moment on the very edge of the forest on the final page. Readers will experience both the comfort of putting a community of anthropomorphized objects to sleep and the power of creating it in the first place.
Pure unmitigated sleepy-time pleasure. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9781536230833
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Nov. 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2024
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