Next book

EARS, NOSE, EYES...SURPRISE!

From the ROYGBaby series

Presenting nonfiction in a fun and interesting manner for our youngest readers, this delightful board book will keep kids...

Use your five senses to find the clues and guess the surprise!

This latest board book in Jones’ ROYGBaby series continues to explore key concepts in a baby’s world. It prompts young readers to consider parts of their bodies—eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and hands—and relate them to their five senses. An endearing young child, brown-skinned with short, dark hair, acts as guide. The rhyming text is simple and short, building anticipation with just one line on each double-page spread, one per sense. “My eyes see… / something round.” On the verso, the child’s eyes are open wide, and on the recto are the silhouettes of balloons. Most of the objects in silhouette are simple and familiar and are shown on a colored, patterned background that varies with each page turn. “My nose smells… / a yummy treat” shows popcorn, which may be the only silhouette difficult for readers to distinguish. The final double-page spread shows multiethnic children enjoying the protagonist’s birthday party, with all the clues shown before in silhouette presented in full color and labeled.

Presenting nonfiction in a fun and interesting manner for our youngest readers, this delightful board book will keep kids engaged. (Board book. 1-3)

Pub Date: Sept. 4, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-936669-62-2

Page Count: 14

Publisher: blue manatee press

Review Posted Online: July 29, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2019

Next book

MOO, BAA, FA LA LA LA LA!

Cute and sprightly but not a standout.

Deck the stalls?

A bevy of barnyard animals, a cat, and some dogs get fully into the Christmas spirit by sprucing up the farm with colorful decorations, including holly berries and sparkling baubles. They have a great time and sing while going about their merry chores in a manner somewhat in keeping with the rhythm of the classic tune “Deck the Halls.” (In fact, a flock of sheep are shown holding song sheets for it.) As might be expected with these particular celebrants, some of the familiar lyrics are altered just a bit; for instance, “boughs of holly” is “translated” as “cows and holly.” Adult readers expecting the rhythm here to work exactly as it does in the original will be disappointed, because it doesn’t—it’s clunky. This is merely a brief, lightweight spoof of the familiar ditty, so it’s recommended that grown-ups read rather than sing this—except for that final line!—to very young targeted audiences, who may be unfamiliar with the actual song anyway. Some fun is still to be had in the illustrations, however. The spirited, wittily expressive animal characters are depicted having a fine time romping about and producing a variety of onomatopoeic sounds throughout. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Cute and sprightly but not a standout. (Board book. 1-3)

Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-66591-435-2

Page Count: 16

Publisher: Boynton Bookworks

Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2022

Next book

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

Close Quickview