A title sure to spur sleepiness, with appropriate verse to match.
When bedtime is the goal, art and poetry mix together for the greater (sleepier) good.
Poet and former Waterstones Children’s Laureate Coelho finds sleepy beauty in 14 different works of art. Explaining that “the works of art I have chosen in this book each made me feel relaxed,” he’s constructed sleepy-time poems for each one. A view of Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night yields a musing on the “River Sky”: “I gaze upon the starry night / it twists into a river-sky / my every breath, a swirling light / I gaze upon the starry night.” Most of the other art selections will prove new and unfamiliar to young and adult eyes alike. Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrored Room and Faith Ringgold’s Tar Beach inspired poems that will speak to readers’ imagination as they drift off. For the most part, Coelho’s poetry is solid, though some entries veer into tepid, repetitive writing. But the book’s explicit purpose is to get kids on the path to slumberland, and here it succeeds. Backmatter offers guidance on using “Art as Therapy at Bedtime,” including how to become your child’s “sleep facilitator,” along with a treatise on why lullabies are so calming. Additional information on the artworks is appended.
A title sure to spur sleepiness, with appropriate verse to match. (Picture book/poetry. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 29, 2024
ISBN: 9780500653333
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Review Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
While there are many rhyming truck books out there, this stands out for being a collection of poems.
Rhyming poems introduce children to anthropomorphized trucks of all sorts, as well as the jobs that they do.
Adorable multiethnic children are the drivers of these 16 trucks—from construction equipment to city trucks, rescue vehicles and a semi—easily standing in for readers, a point made very clear on the final spread. Varying rhyme schemes and poem lengths help keep readers’ attention. For the most part, the rhymes and rhythms work, as in this, from “Cement Mixer”: “No time to wait; / he can’t sit still. / He has to beg your pardon. / For if he dawdles on the way, / his slushy load will harden.” Slonim’s trucks each sport an expressive pair of eyes, but the anthropomorphism stops there, at least in the pictures—Vestergaard sometimes takes it too far, as in “Bulldozer”: “He’s not a bully, either, / although he’s big and tough. / He waits his turn, plays well with friends, / and pushes just enough.” A few trucks’ jobs get short shrift, to mixed effect: “Skid-Steer Loader” focuses on how this truck moves without the typical steering wheel, but “Semi” runs with a royalty analogy and fails to truly impart any knowledge. The acrylic-and-charcoal artwork, set against white backgrounds, keeps the focus on the trucks and the jobs they are doing.
While there are many rhyming truck books out there, this stands out for being a collection of poems. (Picture book/poetry. 3-6)Pub Date: Aug. 27, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-7636-5078-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 28, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A testament to the universality of love.
An expanded explanation of love in both English and Spanish.
Several animal personalities pose the question, “What is love?” and in a series of lift-the-flap responses present various emotional scenarios. Little Elephant asks Spider, “Is it the joy of having you around?” Spider asks, “Is it the way you lift me when I’m down?” Each page corresponds to a flap that reveals one of a multitude of feelings love can evoke in either an English or Spanish rhyme, which are not direct translations of each other. An interspersed refrain notes, “Amor for the Spanish, / and love en inglés. / Love in any language / always means the same.” A palette of pastels and purple and pink hues dominate as hearts abound on each page, surrounding the characters, who are adorable though on the overly sweet side. The characters are from the bilingual preschool series Canticos, though it will work even among those without knowledge of the show. Children more fluent in Spanish will be better able to appreciate this, and those familiar with the show will recognize the signature characters, including “Los Pollitos” (Little Chickies). (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A testament to the universality of love. (Board book. 3-6)Pub Date: Nov. 8, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-945635-72-4
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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