Straightforward and accessible, this sturdy board book and its companions are aesthetically pleasing and designed for...
Simple sentences and charming photos of puppies at play make this a sure toddler’s delight.
This book, together with its simultaneously published companion volumes, Bunnies Hop, Fish Swim, and Kittens Pounce, will engage young readers with a combination of kinetic animal photography, repeated sound effects, and short sentences introducing concepts of play and locomotion. This volume and the one on kittens particularly capitalize on the similar interests their subjects share with toddlers, namely a love of play and motion. One plaintive-eyed pup stares out wistfully, wondering, “Who will play with me?” and then, on the next page, announces, “Here is my friend. Wag, wag!” as two terrier puppies wrestle playfully in a field. Kittens play with balls and yarn, chase bubbles, and satisfy their ceaseless curiosity exploring empty boxes. They also stretch and snuggle. The volume on fish introduces some directional vocabulary (“Swim up. Swim down. Swim all around”) and does a creditable job of making the life of a fish seem exciting. The bunnies are adorable; they “hop,” “sniff,” and “munch,” among other things. Each type of animal appears in solo action and with friends. The uncomplicated concepts and colorful pictures mean that young readers can enjoy these books both with and without a caregiver to read them aloud.
Straightforward and accessible, this sturdy board book and its companions are aesthetically pleasing and designed for repeatability. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-68152-196-1
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Amicus Ink
Review Posted Online: Nov. 13, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character.
One of Boynton's signature characters celebrates Halloween.
It's Halloween time, and Pookie the pig is delighted. Mom helps the little porker pick out the perfect Halloween costume, a process that spans the entire board book. Using an abcb rhyme scheme, Boynton dresses Pookie in a series of cheerful costumes, including a dragon, a bunny, and even a caped superhero. Pookie eventually settles on the holiday classic, a ghost, by way of a bedsheet. Boynton sprinkles in amusing asides to her stanzas as Pookie offers costume commentary ("It's itchy"; "It's hot"; "I feel silly"). Little readers will enjoy the notion of transforming themselves with their own Halloween costumes while reading this book, and a few parents may get some ideas as well. Boynton's clean, sharp illustrations are as good as ever. This is Pookie's first holiday title, but readers will surely welcome more.
A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: July 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-553-51233-5
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Robin Corey/Random
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
