Bold, playful design and animal appeal make this an ideal choice for teaching early learning concepts.
Sixteen different critters introduce preschoolers to 16 antonyms.
Two koalas in a tree stare directly at the reader; a bespectacled tortoise appears stylish and smart as she clips a flower from her garden; a rabbit romps purposefully through high grass; and more. For each double-page spread, the animal depicted on the verso embodies a particular descriptor, and the animal on the recto illustrates the opposite descriptor. A “little” ant faces down a “big” anteater; a honeybee contemplating a “full” jar of honey contrasts with a bear carrying the same jar, now “empty”; and a “cold” penguin dressed for winter in a bobble hat and scarf appears across from a “hot” camel trudging along under the desert sun. Each creature’s name appears beneath it in blue font, and the lexical opposites appear at the tops of the pages in yellow font. The images should provoke plenty of discussion beyond the text, which offers numerous vocabulary-building opportunities. The simultaneously published companion volume Colors in the Garden is similarly patterned, depicting a variety of garden creatures and flora—including roses, hydrangeas, and cacti as well as apple, cherry blossom, and bonsai trees—plus 14 colors, including “black and white” and “multicolored.” Author/illustrator Farina’s high-contrast artwork is dominated by primary colors and uses a retro-fied modern graphic design aesthetic, with uncluttered compositions that are nevertheless rich in personality and detail. Both volumes should captivate little ones and caregivers alike and are great candidates for solo toddler reading.
Bold, playful design and animal appeal make this an ideal choice for teaching early learning concepts. (Board book. Birth-4)Pub Date: April 5, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-62371-850-3
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Crocodile/Interlink
Review Posted Online: Dec. 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Simple, encouraging text, charming photographs, straightforward, unpretentious diversity, and adorable animals—what’s not to...
This entry-level early reader/picture book pairs children with farm animals.
Using a simple, effective template—a full-page photograph on the recto page and a bordered spot photo above the text on the verso—Rotner delivers an amiable picture book that presents racially and ethnically diverse kids interacting (mostly in the cuddling department) with the adult and baby animals typically found on a farm. Chickens, chicks, cats, kittens, dogs, puppies, pigs, piglets, cows, and calves are all represented. While a couple of double-page spreads show the larger adult animals—pigs and cows—without a child, most of the rest portray a delighted child hugging a compliant critter. The text, simple and repetitive, changes only the name for the animal depicted in the photo on that spread: “I like the cat”; “I like the piglet.” In this way, reading comprehension for new readers is supported in an enjoyable, appealing way, since the photo of the animal reinforces the new word. It’s hard to go wrong combining cute kids with adorable animals, but special kudos must be given for the very natural way Rotner has included diversity—it’s especially gratifying to see diversity normalized and validated early, at the same time that reading comprehension is taught.
Simple, encouraging text, charming photographs, straightforward, unpretentious diversity, and adorable animals—what’s not to like? (Picture book/early reader. 2-6)Pub Date: Aug. 15, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-8234-3833-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2017
A ribald and uproarious warning to those unschooled in fishy goings-on.
Sharpson offers so-fish-ticated readers a heads up about the true terror of the seas.
The title says it all. Our unseen narrator is just fine with other animals: mammals. Reptiles. Even birds. But fish? Don’t trust them! First off, the rules always seem to change with fish. Some live in fresh water; some reside in salt water. Some have gills, while others have lungs. You can never see what they’re up to, since they hang out underwater, and they’re always eating those poor, innocent crabs. Soon, the narrator introduces readers to Jeff, a vacant-eyed yellow fish—but don’t be fooled! Jeff’s “the craftiest fish of all.” All fish are, apparently, hellbent on world domination, the narrator warns. “DON’T TRUST FISH!” Finally, at the tail end, we get a sly glimpse of our unreliable narrator. Readers needn’t be ichthyologists to appreciate Sharpson’s meticulous comic timing. (“Ships always sink at sea. They never sink on land. Isn’t that strange?”) His delightful text, filled to the brim with jokes that read aloud brilliantly, pairs perfectly with Santat’s art, which shifts between extreme realism and goofy hilarity. He also fills the book with his own clever gags (such as an image of Gilligan’s Island’s S.S. Minnow going down and a bottle of sauce labeled “Surly Chik’n Srir’racha’r”).
A ribald and uproarious warning to those unschooled in fishy goings-on. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 8, 2025
ISBN: 9780593616673
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
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