This book contains many colors, but, ironically, it feels a little drab.
Chameleon uses her ability to change and mimic to demonstrate seven basic colors.
With elements of toy, concept, and rhyming book, this title tries to cover a wide spectrum, but the elements never quite blend. Die-cut openings of diminishing size change the illustrated reptile’s color with each page turn. (The smooth, round edges on the die cuts are a thoughtful touch.) Inside, both art and iambic pentameter rhymes brim with effusive energy but lack nuance. The repetitious text identifies each targeted color and compares it to something found in nature: “I am Chameleon, and this is my tree. / I hide in its leaves—they’re green just like me.” Chameleon, loosely drawn in exuberantly bright art with a watercolor effect, begins as a grinning, green-headed lizard with colorful stripes down her body. As the book progresses, both surroundings and Chameleon’s head clearly change color, so that the yellow-headed chameleon munches a golden mango, then camouflages its pink body among pink blooms. It ends predictably, with a selection of all the colored items clustered together and Chameleon, now crowned and with rainbow stripes restored, declaring herself a “colorful queen.” Though the back cover calls the narrative a “trip along the rainbow,” it is not in rainbow order. It’s adequate, but there are more innovative books about colors and chameleons available. Companion title Shark’s Numbers shares the same die-cut design, but with nothing significant changing about the shark with each page turn, it feels like an arbitrary gimmick.
This book contains many colors, but, ironically, it feels a little drab. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Feb. 23, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-68010-616-9
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: March 30, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2021
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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