Little fingers will enjoy exploring these pages again and again
A day in Baby’s life, with flaps, textures, sparkly bling, and mirrors to explore.
The first double-page spread, in bright, sunny colors, invites a white baby with blond hair to wake up and asks the reader, “What will baby see?” Beyond the baby’s crib is a room full of toys and a window with a blazing sun and three butterflies in flight. The subsequent spreads show different babies (the second one has a dark brown complexion, the next two are white, and the final tot is possibly of Asian descent) eating, getting dressed, playing in the park, and then back in the crib for the night. Each page follows the same formula, with relatively sturdy flaps to lift or open and at least one tactile element per page, which are a mix of embossed elements or textiles embedded in the page. Katz’s signature bright and cheery patterns and chubby, cherubic babes are in top form here, and the 10 1/2–inch-square trim is an ideal canvas. Serviceable text provides simple descriptors, and captions label many of the objects in each baby’s world.
Little fingers will enjoy exploring these pages again and again . (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4814-8830-3
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
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
An upbeat early book on feelings with a simple storyline that little ones will respond to.
This simplified version of Diesen and Hanna’s The Pout-Pout Fish (2008) is appropriate for babies and toddlers.
Brief, rhyming text tells the story of a sullen fish cheered up with a kiss. A little pink sea creature pokes his head out of a hole in the sea bottom to give the gloomy fish some advice: “Smile, Mr. Fish! / You look so down // With your glum-glum face / And your pout-pout frown.” He explains that there’s no reason to be worried, scared, sad or mad and concludes: “How about a smooch? / And a cheer-up wish? // Now you look happy: / What a smile, Mr. Fish!” Simple and sweet, this tale offers the lesson that sometimes, all that’s needed for a turnaround in mood is some cheer and encouragement to change our perspective. The clean, uncluttered illustrations are kept simple, except for the pout-pout fish’s features, which are delightfully expressive. Little ones will easily recognize and likely try to copy the sad, scared and angry looks that cross the fish’s face.
An upbeat early book on feelings with a simple storyline that little ones will respond to. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-374-37084-8
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
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