A lovely book to read and pass down through the generations.
Seeley offers a visually resplendent, alphabet-themed, word-search picture book.
“Spot animals. Objects! / Find WORDS and much more! / And discover a world of things / when you explore.” So tasks “Shadow,” the cute, cloudlike critter who narrates this collection of picture searches. Readers are presented with a two-page spread for each letter of the alphabet. The first page of each contains text in a simple ABCB rhyme structure: “I is for icecubes / and ice cream cones, too. / Look for irises, flowers / of indigo blue.” Every instance of the featured letter is in color (in contrast to otherwise-black text), and words beginning with that letter float ghostlike in the background. The flow is dreamy, and it takes a little work to keep in rhythm (children will likely gloss over the words altogether and dive straight into the picture searches). Each letter’s illustration page is presented as if within a large picture frame containing a collage of painted illustrations, each bursting with images inspired by the letter in question. The letter M, for instance, features macaroni, a monkey sitting on a moon (with a mouse sniffing about), a mermaid (wearing mittens) with mountains in the background, and a marshmallow tree with marigold flowers. The images are rich and intricate, much in the style of Graeme Base’s classic Animalia (1986), and offer endless encouragement for poring over by keen young eyes.
A lovely book to read and pass down through the generations.Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9780986425035
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Best Friends Art Gallery
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.
A collection of parental wishes for a child.
It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
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