A sweet story that pulls on the heartstrings.
Big Bear and Little Bear have many things in common—some with slight, unexpected twists.
Big Bear wears a yellow top and white pants, and Little Bear wears a white top with yellow pants. They both have boots, a coffee cup, a plate, a toothbrush, and slippers. All things are distinguished mainly by their size: Big Bear’s things are big, and Little Bear’s things are little. In some instances, a strain of tenderness infuses the story. For instance, Big Bear’s car is exactly that, but Little Bear’s car is a cloth sling across Big Bear’s back. Big Bear’s house and Little Bear’s house are precisely the same one. Big Bear’s chair is a brown wooden one, reminiscent of the classic story “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” but Little Bear’s chair is Big Bear’s welcoming lap. Big Bear’s lovey is Little Bear, and Little Bear’s lovey is a plush white rabbit. The final spread will resonate with many adults and children: The illustration on the verso depicts a cozy bed with Big Bear in it (“Big Bear’s bed”), and the illustration on the recto shows both bears in the same snug bed (“Little Bear’s bed”). Originally published in French, Schneider’s childlike illustrations are colorful and attractive, set against plain, monochromatic backgrounds.
A sweet story that pulls on the heartstrings. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 21, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-951836-28-3
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Cameron + Company
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Not a great choice for the youngest dinosaur lovers.
A board-book ode to parental love as old as the dinosaurs.
A line of text on the left of each spread reads like a dinosaur-themed valentine that a third grader might choose, with punishingly punny wordplay that incorporates dinosaur-related words. On the facing page a dinosaur pair—a baby and an adult—gaze lovingly into each other’s eyes against whimsical, pastel-hued prehistoric-ish backgrounds. In smaller print, in all caps, at the bottom of the left page is the scientific name for the dinosaur referenced by the text and picture followed by a helpful phonetic pronunciation guide. White-outlined footprints appear next to their names, though the white is sometimes difficult to see against the pastel pages. Ten of the best-known dinosaurs are included. Twisting the dinosaur names to fit the loving sentiments succeeds some of the time but more often results in tortured text, well beyond the understanding of the board book audience. The line accompanying two hugging velociraptors, for instance, is just confusing: “Wrap-TOR arms around me, / with you I’ll always stay.” Others are just plain clumsy: “I-wanna-GUANODON you kisses, / I truly just adore you.” Very young children, even those fascinated by dinosaurs, will not get it. Older dinosaur fans will be put off by the babyish format.
Not a great choice for the youngest dinosaur lovers. (Board book. 18 mos.-3)Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-7282-2295-0
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
An upbeat early book on feelings with a simple storyline that little ones will respond to.
This simplified version of Diesen and Hanna’s The Pout-Pout Fish (2008) is appropriate for babies and toddlers.
Brief, rhyming text tells the story of a sullen fish cheered up with a kiss. A little pink sea creature pokes his head out of a hole in the sea bottom to give the gloomy fish some advice: “Smile, Mr. Fish! / You look so down // With your glum-glum face / And your pout-pout frown.” He explains that there’s no reason to be worried, scared, sad or mad and concludes: “How about a smooch? / And a cheer-up wish? // Now you look happy: / What a smile, Mr. Fish!” Simple and sweet, this tale offers the lesson that sometimes, all that’s needed for a turnaround in mood is some cheer and encouragement to change our perspective. The clean, uncluttered illustrations are kept simple, except for the pout-pout fish’s features, which are delightfully expressive. Little ones will easily recognize and likely try to copy the sad, scared and angry looks that cross the fish’s face.
An upbeat early book on feelings with a simple storyline that little ones will respond to. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-374-37084-8
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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