Parents who have OD’d on the previous outing may welcome this as an alternative, but goodness knows, similar treacly...
A second slam of cuteness from the creators of Next to You: A Book of Adorableness (2016).
“So here’s the thing. I love you.” Houran matches the wry tone that saved the previous outing from dissolving into total goo, and Hanson again supplies a “squee”-inducing gallery of fuzzy, soft-focus baby animals with big, wide eyes. Unfortunately, this labored effort at a follow-up is really just more of the same—with the addition of a baby skunk surrounded by a light green cloud (“Oh. Hoo, boy”) to challenge (unsuccessfully, even for a moment) the “unconditional” part of the premise. The title, which echoes the climactic line’s “I love you warts and all,” will require explication despite the smiling toad on the facing page and may even be worrisome to more self-conscious young listeners. The illustrations may confuse young listeners as well. While the prickly porcupine cub nestled snugly amid a snoozing heap of little darlings may be taken for visual license, a fish-food snack offered to a goldfish in one scene doesn’t look much like a token of motherly love, nor does an earlier trio of baby kangaroos seem all that “wound up.”
Parents who have OD’d on the previous outing may welcome this as an alternative, but goodness knows, similar treacly reassurances that are also free of potentially confusing bits abound. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-8075-8658-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: May 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2017
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes.
A lift-the-flap book gives the littlest trick-or-treaters some practice identifying partygoers under their costumes.
Little Blue Truck and his buddy Toad are off to a party, and they invite readers (and a black cat) along for the ride: “ ‘Beep! Beep! Beep!’ / says Little Blue. / ‘It’s Halloween!’ / You come, too.” As they drive, they are surprised (and joined) by many of their friends in costume. “Who’s that in a tutu / striking a pose / up on the tiniest / tips of her toes? / Under the mask / who do you see?” Lifting the flap unmasks a friend: “ ‘Quack!’ says the duck. / ‘It’s me! It’s me!’ ” The sheep is disguised as a clown, the cow’s a queen, the pig’s a witch, the hen and her chick are pirates, and the horse is a dragon. Not to be left out, Little Blue has a costume, too. The flaps are large and sturdy, and enough of the animals’ characteristic features are visible under and around the costumes that little ones will be able to make successful guesses even on the first reading. Lovely curvy shapes and autumn colors fade to dusky blues as night falls, and children are sure to notice the traditional elements of a Halloween party: apple bobbing, lit jack-o’-lanterns, and punch and treats.
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-544-77253-3
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
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BOOK REVIEW
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it.
A succession of animal dads do their best to teach their young to say “Dada” in this picture-book vehicle for Fallon.
A grumpy bull says, “DADA!”; his calf moos back. A sad-looking ram insists, “DADA!”; his lamb baas back. A duck, a bee, a dog, a rabbit, a cat, a mouse, a donkey, a pig, a frog, a rooster, and a horse all fail similarly, spread by spread. A final two-spread sequence finds all of the animals arrayed across the pages, dads on the verso and children on the recto. All the text prior to this point has been either iterations of “Dada” or animal sounds in dialogue bubbles; here, narrative text states, “Now everybody get in line, let’s say it together one more time….” Upon the turn of the page, the animal dads gaze round-eyed as their young across the gutter all cry, “DADA!” (except the duckling, who says, “quack”). Ordóñez's illustrations have a bland, digital look, compositions hardly varying with the characters, although the pastel-colored backgrounds change. The punch line fails from a design standpoint, as the sudden, single-bubble chorus of “DADA” appears to be emanating from background features rather than the baby animals’ mouths (only some of which, on close inspection, appear to be open). It also fails to be funny.
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 9, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-250-00934-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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