While its conceit isn’t entirely successful, this jaunty book brims with positivity, and who can’t use a little more cheer?...
It’s baby’s first metafiction!
Brief introductions to a range of concepts culminate in an enthusiastic shoutout to “readers like you!” Relentlessly enthusiastic, this self-aware book charges through, informing readers about its many snippets of information. Peppy rhyming couplets exclaim that “THIS BOOK has shapes like circles and squares. / And fruit like bananas and apples and pears.” It’s a perky meter, so an abrupt alteration to the rhyme scheme on the last page sounds unexpectedly jarring. Like its narrative, the cartoon illustrations are also resolutely cheery, drawn with brilliant candy-colored hues and a touch of kawaii-like cuteness. Wide, round eyes and enormous grins personify the gamut of concepts, from the “BIG and small” kittens to the vivid paint splotches. A dizzying final page, with all the concepts clustered together in party hats to triumphantly celebrate the book’s readers, epitomizes both its most and least successful elements. There’s an awful lot of energy and heart, but its intent is never completely clear. Its metafictive theme is likely too sophisticated for the intended audience, and with only a smattering of concepts superficially discussed, it’s less a concept book and more a book about concept books.
While its conceit isn’t entirely successful, this jaunty book brims with positivity, and who can’t use a little more cheer? (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: March 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-8075-7881-0
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: June 10, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
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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Clear nonfiction for the very young is hard to come by, and it appears that the Look & Learn series may finally be on...
An exploration of the human body through colorful photos.
Every other double-page spread labels the individual parts on one major area: head, torso, back, arm and leg. Ethnically diverse boy-girl pairs serve as models as arrows point to specific features and captions float nearby. While the book usefully mentions rarely depicted body parts, such as eyebrow, armpit and shin, some of the directional arrows are unclear. The arrow pointing at a girl’s shoulder hits her in the upper arm, and the belly button is hard is distinguish from the stomach (both are concealed by shirts). Facts about the human body (“Guess what? You have tiny hairs in your nose that keep out dirt”) appear on alternating spreads along with photos of kids in action. Baby Animals, another title in the Look & Learn series, uses an identical format to introduce readers to seal pups, leopard cubs, elephant calves, ducklings and tadpoles. In both titles, the final spread offers a review of the information and encourages readers to match baby animals to their parents or find body parts on a photo of kids jumping on a trampoline.
Clear nonfiction for the very young is hard to come by, and it appears that the Look & Learn series may finally be on the right track despite earlier titles that were much too conceptual for the audience. (Board book. 18 mos.-3)Pub Date: Feb. 11, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4263-1483-4
Page Count: 24
Publisher: National Geographic
Review Posted Online: April 29, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
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