Packed with great extension possibilities, visually engaging illustrations, and quick rhymes, this read-aloud would be a...
Two children of color count local insects and flora in an explosion of colors and textures.
“It’s time for some bug-counting fun!” A brother and sister are wakened by the warmth of the rising sun. Prepared with their net, magnifying glass, and notebook, they rush to explore the diverse microhabitats on their farm. “Leafhoppers, leafhoppers, hopping all about. / 3 by the farrow, 7 by the yarrow. / How many bugs hopping about? / 10!” Each page has its own version of this clever, internally rhyming verse, inviting a search for 10 scurrying bugs weaving in and out of highlighted blossoms or shrubs. Midway through the story is a challenging search-and-find illustration reviewing the count up to 50. Young readers will naturally be entranced, searching every pond, field, and barn for the crawling critters. Each page is literally teeming with life, thanks to Kaufman’s multilayered textures, vivid hues, and bright lighting. At dusk the siblings snuggle up in bed to review their notebook, in which the total number of bugs and their accompanying illustrations are laid out to count to 100. Guides to both the insects and plants depicted follow, providing curious readers with further information.
Packed with great extension possibilities, visually engaging illustrations, and quick rhymes, this read-aloud would be a great addition to any STEM shelf. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 12, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-374-30631-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: April 24, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2018
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together.
A clueless duckling tries to make a new friend.
He is confused by this peculiar-looking duck, who has a long tail, doesn’t waddle and likes to be alone. No matter how explicitly the creature denies he is a duck and announces that he is a cat, the duckling refuses to acknowledge the facts. When this creature expresses complete lack of interest in playing puddle stomp, the little ducking goes off and plays on his own. But the cat is not without remorse for rejecting an offered friendship. Of course it all ends happily, with the two new friends enjoying each other’s company. Bramsen employs brief sentences and the simplest of rhymes to tell this slight tale. The two heroes are meticulously drawn with endearing, expressive faces and body language, and their feathers and fur appear textured and touchable. Even the detailed tree bark and grass seem three-dimensional. There are single- and double-page spreads, panels surrounded by white space and circular and oval frames, all in a variety of eye-pleasing juxtapositions. While the initial appeal is solidly visual, young readers will get the gentle message that friendship is not something to take for granted but is to be embraced with open arms—or paws and webbed feet.
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-375-86990-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 13, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2012
Parent-child love and affection, appealingly presented, with the added attraction of the seasonal content and lack of gender...
A polar-bear parent speaks poetically of love for a child.
A genderless adult and cub travel through the landscapes of an arctic year. Each of the softly rendered double-page paintings has a very different feel and color palette as the pair go through the seasons, walking through wintry ice and snow and green summer meadows, cavorting in the blue ocean, watching whales, and playing beside musk oxen. The rhymes of the four-line stanzas are not forced, as is the case too often in picture books of this type: “When cold, winter winds / blow the leaves far and wide, / You’ll cross the great icebergs / with me by your side.” On a dark, snowy night, the loving parent says: “But for now, cuddle close / while the stars softly shine. // I’ll always be yours, / and you’ll always be mine.” As the last illustration shows the pair curled up for sleep, young listeners will be lulled to sweet dreams by the calm tenor of the pictures and the words. While far from original, this timeless theme is always in demand, and the combination of delightful illustrations and poetry that scans well make this a good choice for early-childhood classrooms, public libraries, and one-on-one home read-alouds.
Parent-child love and affection, appealingly presented, with the added attraction of the seasonal content and lack of gender restrictions. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-68010-070-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
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