A cute enough offering but ultimately a one-trick pony.
Counting is a means to an end in this cowboy-infused nursery-rhyme homage.
A piggy with a penchant for Western wear saddles Lou, the horse, for a ride. Written in the style of the nursery rhyme “One, Two, Buckle My Shoe,” the story counts up alongside simple storytelling. “One, Two, Saddle up Lou.” Repeatedly, the book mirrors the rhyme’s original lines, as when “pick up sticks” becomes “watch out for big sticks.” Sadly, some lines do not scan as well in their new form. Stronger is the counting element, as boots, hats, bandannas, and more match the number on the page in quantity. Little fingers should have no difficulty pointing to each as it is counted. There are some lost opportunities in this simple tale, though. For example, the cowpoke’s accoutrements are pictured for identification at the end of the book but are not named. This makes the broad assumption that caregivers will already know their bridles from their saddles. Gentle art gives characters a rounded, roly-poly look set against a big open sky. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A cute enough offering but ultimately a one-trick pony. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: March 15, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-53411-159-2
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2022
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
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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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