Overall, this colorful concept connects the right dots for a toddler audience
Single-word labels highlight a creative range of designs.
Animal bodies and patterns comprise this repertoire of recognizable shapes. Some examples include natural markings found on animals' bodies, such as a Dalmatian’s spots or a giraffe's patches; others exploit the actual nuance of the body. Among the latter, the "star" made by the sea star is obvious, while the curve of the swan's neck may require adult interpretation for children to understand. Even the unadorned hippo gets a chance to shine; the accompanying text reads “plain.” Some arrangements extend into the background; the zebra's stripes find an echo in the blades of grass. Other background scenes seem boldly barren. The British import adds a child-friendly emphasis to the subjects' appearances through wobbly dark lines, googly-eyed faces and disproportionate limbs. There's not a menacing creature to be found; even the slithering reptile wears a timid expression. Arrows serve as a fitting final shape, as the bird's feet march right off the page. In Go Wild with…Noises, appropriate sounds correspond to living creatures, both wild and domestic; the elephant (“thump”) lumbers with stomping feet.
Overall, this colorful concept connects the right dots for a toddler audience . (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: June 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-84365-176-5
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Trafalgar Square
Review Posted Online: May 29, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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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