Useful for sharing with gardening grandmas but not essential.
An ideal day in an idealized garden with a doting grandma.
“Every Sunday, Mommy and Daddy take me to Nana’s garden,” proclaims a smiling, brown-haired child wearing turquoise boots, a yellow sundress, and a flower-adorned hat. On subsequent pages, child and blue jeans–clad grandmother, shaded by her own sun hat, gather tomatoes and basil, chase butterflies, catch bugs, pick flowers, and water plants. Though the book is not directly instructional, six colors are highlighted in colored type, and the girl counts flowers and rocks as she collects them. The child’s grandfather (gray haired but still rather young looking) is a peripheral character, glimpsed working in his workshop and helping with the watering. Illustrator De Luca’s fanciful illustrations display her animation experience, pink leaves on a willow tree edging the book toward fantasy. Caterpillars and adult insects smile throughout, even when pent-up in jars, some of which, distressingly, have no visible air holes. (Sharp-eyed readers will also note that the word “brown” is not set in colored type—a small but distracting detail.) Nana presents white, as do the child’s grandfather and father; the child’s mother and the child both have beige skin a smidge darker.
Useful for sharing with gardening grandmas but not essential. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: March 10, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-949998-98-6
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Clever Publishing
Review Posted Online: June 2, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
A satisfying friendship story to share with very young children in the days leading up to Halloween.
This board book twists the traditional “Teeny Tiny” tale into a less-scary Halloween treat.
This version uses a singsong-y rhythm and cadence to tell the story. “In the teeny tiny barn / Of a teeny tiny house... / Lived a teeny tiny ghost / and a teeny tiny mouse.” Of course the ghost (being teeny tiny) is not very frightening. “But the determined little ghost / Let her mighty courage through / And with a teeny tiny breath / She said a teeny tiny: boo.” Spoiler alert: After just seven page turns the ghost and mouse become friends: “And now the teeny tinies play / In the teeny tiny house. / Just a teeny tiny ghost / And her best friend, mouse.” Pumpkins decorate the cover and final spread and illustrations throughout are in autumnal hues. The fairly high-for-the-format word count—19 to 21 words per page—may be more than toddlers will sit still for, but the “teeny tiny” repetition and rhymes will help. The size (just 6 inches square) makes using the book with a group a challenge, but with a lap-sitting child, it’ll be a pleasure.
A satisfying friendship story to share with very young children in the days leading up to Halloween. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 30, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-31848-7
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: April 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
This TV rerun in board-book form has nothing new to offer.
Peppa hopes to join her classmates in a Halloween pumpkin competition in this adaptation of a story from the popular British television program Peppa Pig.
With the help of Granny and Grandpa Pig, Peppa turns her giant pumpkin, which is the size of a compact car, into a jack-o’-lantern. The trio is flummoxed when it comes time to transport the pumpkin to the competition, so they call on Miss Rabbit and her helicopter to airlift the pumpkin to the festivities as Peppa and her grandparents ride inside. Peppa arrives just in time for the contest and wins the prize for best flying pumpkin. The scenes look as if they are pulled directly from the television show, right down to the rectangular framing of some of the scenes. While the story is literally nothing new, the text is serviceable, describing the action in two to three sentences per page. The pumpkin-shaped book and orange foil cover will likely attract youngsters, whether they are Peppa fans or not.
This TV rerun in board-book form has nothing new to offer. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 30, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-33922-2
Page Count: 10
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2019
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