Not a substitute for but a possible successor to the plethora of more conventional—but safer—board-book and pop-up galleries.
Over 40 baby animals (plus a few trees) attach magnetically to desert, rain forest, savanna, or arctic scenes.
To help match the baby animals to their characteristic habitats, adult versions of each painted, die-cut creature pose in the simply rendered illustrations. However, natural history is not this import’s strong suit. There is a visual key at the end, but along with a few brief nature notes (“In the desert, many animals can survive on very little water”), only one or two creatures are identified on each spread. Moreover, neither the two tropical butterflies nor any of the flora, including three cutout trees, get a label or mention; two “baby” tropical frogs are just small adults; and the “Desert” includes saguaros and coconut palms in the same scene. The warning on the rear cover should be taken seriously, as many of the small, irregular pieces are definite choking hazards. They’ll also be easy to lose, though they are magnetized enough to stay in place through moderate shocks or when the volume is closed, and they can be stored in an attached pouch when they’re loose. Parents or teachers who prefer to stay away from licensed commercial characters may be drawn to this, and the pieces can also be used independently on any magnetic surface.
Not a substitute for but a possible successor to the plethora of more conventional—but safer—board-book and pop-up galleries. (Novelty. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 4, 2016
ISBN: 979-1-02760-193-6
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2016
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
Echoes of Runaway Bunny color this exchange between a bath-averse piglet and his patient mother. Using a strategy that would probably be a nonstarter in real life, the mother deflects her stubborn offspring’s string of bath-free occupational conceits with appeals to reason: “Pirates NEVER EVER take baths!” “Pirates don’t get seasick either. But you do.” “Yeesh. I’m an astronaut, okay?” “Well, it is hard to bathe in zero gravity. It’s hard to poop and pee in zero gravity too!” And so on, until Mom’s enticing promise of treasure in the deep sea persuades her little Treasure Hunter to take a dive. Chunky figures surrounded by lots of bright white space in Segal’s minimally detailed watercolors keep the visuals as simple as the plotline. The language isn’t quite as basic, though, and as it rendered entirely in dialogue—Mother Pig’s lines are italicized—adult readers will have to work hard at their vocal characterizations for it to make any sense. Moreover, younger audiences (any audiences, come to that) may wonder what the piggy’s watery closing “EUREKA!!!” is all about too. Not particularly persuasive, but this might coax a few young porkers to get their trotters into the tub. (Picture book. 4-6)
Pub Date: March 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-399-25425-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: Jan. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2011
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