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
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
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
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