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TEENY WEENY LOOKS FOR HIS MOMMY

A TINY TAB BOOK

The simple lost-and-found storyline, cheery illustrations and easy-to-manipulate tabs will make this interactive title a tot...

This engaging, interactive offering features Teeny Weeny, an adorable little mouse in search of his mother.

Four large, round tabs depicting different animals poke out of this sturdy little title from the top and side, providing an interesting profile and the promise of interactivity right from the start. Teeny Weeny first looks for Mommy behind a tree, but she’s not there. When the tab—easily grasped by little hands—is pulled out, readers find a cat hiding there instead. Teeny next checks for Mommy in a pirate ship. Pulling the tab here reveals a crocodile, but that’s not all; the motion also opens two portals in the ship, uncovering both Dog and Pig. Push Crocodile back into place, and Dog and Pig are hidden once again. A determined Teeny finds many other hidden animals as he looks for Mommy in the flowers and the playhouse, behind the wall and in a tree before finally finding her behind a picnic basket filled with goodies. Companion title Bunny Boo Has Lost Her Teddy is filled with similar surprises and another comforting conclusion.

The simple lost-and-found storyline, cheery illustrations and easy-to-manipulate tabs will make this interactive title a tot favorite . (Board book. 1-3)

Pub Date: Feb. 11, 2014

ISBN: 978-0-7636-7273-7

Page Count: 8

Publisher: Nosy Crow

Review Posted Online: Jan. 28, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014

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THE ITSY BITSY BUNNY

Leave the hopping to Peter Cottontail and sing the original song instead.

An Easter-themed board-book parody of the traditional nursery rhyme.

Unfortunately, this effort is just as sugary and uninspired as The Itsy Bitsy Snowman, offered by the same pair in 2015. A cheerful white bunny hops through a pastel world to distribute candy and treats for Easter but spills his baskets. A hedgehog, fox, mouse, and various birds come to the bunny’s rescue, retrieving the candy, helping to devise a distribution plan, and hiding the eggs. Then magically, they all fly off in a hot air balloon as the little animals in the village emerge to find the treats. Without any apparent purpose, the type changes color to highlight some words. For very young children every word is new, so highlighting “tiny tail” or “friends” makes no sense. Although the text is meant to be sung, the words don't quite fit the rhythm of the original song. Moreover, there are not clear motions to accompany the text; without the fingerplay movements, this book has none of the satisfying verve of the traditional version.

Leave the hopping to Peter Cottontail and sing the original song instead. (Board book. 1-3)

Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2016

ISBN: 978-1-4814-5621-0

Page Count: 16

Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016

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SMILE, POUT-POUT FISH

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

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