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TOES ARE TO TICKLE

A takeoff of the Ruth Krauss and Maurice Sendak classic A Hole Is to Dig (1952) that revives the same snappy childlike style of defining words that so charmed generations of early listeners. From the first yawn of morning to the last kiss goodnight, Roddie goes through meals, playtime, a visit to the park, dressing up, and more with simple one-liners describing favorite behaviors and feelings. ``Morning is for waking up . . . milk is to give some to the cat . . . and a mirror is for making faces'' are just a few examples of the cuddly sentiments expressed with joy. Exuberant Helen Oxenburyish expressions enliven scenes of two siblings trying on oversized shoes, seesawing, building tents of blankets, emptying purses, and other typical discoveries. Chipper colors add to the free-spirited frolic found in the pages of this early concept book. (Picture book. 2-5)

Pub Date: June 16, 1997

ISBN: 1-883672-49-X

Page Count: 24

Publisher: Tricycle

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1997

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YOUR BABY'S FIRST WORD WILL BE DADA

Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it.

A succession of animal dads do their best to teach their young to say “Dada” in this picture-book vehicle for Fallon.

A grumpy bull says, “DADA!”; his calf moos back. A sad-looking ram insists, “DADA!”; his lamb baas back. A duck, a bee, a dog, a rabbit, a cat, a mouse, a donkey, a pig, a frog, a rooster, and a horse all fail similarly, spread by spread. A final two-spread sequence finds all of the animals arrayed across the pages, dads on the verso and children on the recto. All the text prior to this point has been either iterations of “Dada” or animal sounds in dialogue bubbles; here, narrative text states, “Now everybody get in line, let’s say it together one more time….” Upon the turn of the page, the animal dads gaze round-eyed as their young across the gutter all cry, “DADA!” (except the duckling, who says, “quack”). Ordóñez's illustrations have a bland, digital look, compositions hardly varying with the characters, although the pastel-colored backgrounds change. The punch line fails from a design standpoint, as the sudden, single-bubble chorus of “DADA” appears to be emanating from background features rather than the baby animals’ mouths (only some of which, on close inspection, appear to be open). It also fails to be funny.

Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it. (Picture book. 3-5)

Pub Date: June 9, 2015

ISBN: 978-1-250-00934-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015

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HAPPY IN OUR SKIN

The combination of lovingly humorous and detailed mixed-media illustrations and infectious rhymes will cause little ones and...

More than skin deep, this rhyming paean to diversity offers readers an array of families of all colors and orientations, living and loving one another in a vibrant city setting.

A giggling baby is tummy-tickled by her white and black mothers (or white mother and black father—impressively, the illustration leaves room for interpretation) in New York’s Central Park in its summertime glory. "This is how we all begin: / small and happy in our skin." This celebration of skin not only extols the beauty and value of various skin colors, but also teaches the importance of skin as an essential body part: “It keeps the outsides out / and your insides in.” Park, public-pool, and block-party scenes allow readers to luxuriate in a teeming city where children of all colors, abilities, and religions enjoy their families and neighbors. The author and illustrator do not simply take a rote, tokenistic approach to answering the cry for diverse books; the words and pictures depict a much-needed, realistic representation of the statement “it takes a village to raise a child” when a child skins her knee and many rush to her aid and comfort. Though her palette of browns is a little limited, Tobia creates sheer joy with her depictions of everything from unibrows, dimples, and birthmarks to callouts to recognizable literary characters.

The combination of lovingly humorous and detailed mixed-media illustrations and infectious rhymes will cause little ones and their families to pore over this book again and again. (Picture book. 2-5)

Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-7636-7002-3

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Candlewick

Review Posted Online: May 11, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2015

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