Young board-book listeners will be happy when their caregivers take Hopkins’ advice: “Read to me—then— / read to me / read...
In his first collection for toddlers, master anthologist Hopkins has organized 30 poems by over 20 poets in five sections: “Family,” “Food,” “Firsts,” “Play,” and “Bedtime.”
Despite the saccharine title taken from Rebecca Kai Dotlich's “Sandman” poem, these verses are not doggerel, making it a refreshing departure from the unfortunate board-book norm. The longest poem is only eight lines long, while most have four to six. The vocabulary is simple, and the rhymes work, as readers will expect from such well-known poets as X.J. Kennedy, Jane Yolen, Eileen Spinelli, Marilyn Singer, Alice Schertle, and J. Patrick Lewis. Parents and grandparents—arguably the primary audience for this collection—may discover some new favorites among the other contributors: Prince Redcloud, Joan Bransfield Graham, Laura Purdie Salas, Christine O'Connell George, and several more. Hopkins has chosen poems written from the child's viewpoint, so even with multiple authors there is a unity of concept. Nassner's pastel-hued illustrations match the tone of each poem, and her anthropomorphic-animal cast sidesteps the challenge of representing ethnic diversity that photos or more realistic illustrations would present.
Young board-book listeners will be happy when their caregivers take Hopkins’ advice: “Read to me—then— / read to me / read to me / again and again.” (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: March 3, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4197-1037-7
Page Count: 44
Publisher: Abrams Appleseed
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2015
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Cuddle up with this cheery board book to assure your babies that they too are loved.
Parental love has never been expressed so sweetly and believably.
In this sunny, bright world there is no ambivalence, much less postpartum depression—only positive possibilities. Church offers a model of good parenting, expressing the universal hopes all parents have for their children, that they “see the joy that life can bring.” Her focus is always on the child. The narrator mother is shown only at the very beginning, cuddling her newborn and lifting a sock-clad toddler above her head. On two other pages readers see the mother's hands reaching out to guide and encourage as the baby begins to crawl, stand, and run. The first-person narration might be confusing if the book is shared by a caregiver other than a mother. Toddlers will join in on the reassuring refrain “I will love you forever.” The pants-clad child is shown with tightly curled reddish-brown hair and light brown skin. The mother has a slightly lighter skin tone and straight hair. A faithful brown dog and well-loved teddy bear accompany the child on almost every page.
Cuddle up with this cheery board book to assure your babies that they too are loved. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-545-94200-3
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
