Those just graduating from board books are the ideal audience for this seek-and-find–and-count series.
An unnamed narrator tells readers what they saw on their walk in the country in the fall.
The cumulative text gets longer and longer with each page turn, adding another number and something else to count in Lordon’s brightly colored scenes. “I went for a walk in the country today. / I saw sparkling leaves that went crunch, / one huge yellow harvest moon, / two galloping horses, and three little red foxes. / The foxes howled at me!” The tiny images—each roughly fingertip-size save the horses—are adorable, and they present just the right level of challenge for young children starting to enjoy look-and-find books (this is no Where’s Waldo). Those reading with young ones can also suggest additional items in the pictures to count. While the text spells out the numbers, the final page, made to look like a graph with the items lined up in horizontal rows, uses numerals. Winter in the City, publishing simultaneously, follows the same pattern, offering readers scenes filled with city buildings, traffic, and bundled-up pedestrians and asking them to count pigeons, awnings, dogs, and firetrucks, among other things. Both books neatly round out the seasonal collection that began with Spring in the Woods (2019) and Summer at the Seashore (2019).
Those just graduating from board books are the ideal audience for this seek-and-find–and-count series. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-8075-7729-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: May 25, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2019
Count on construction die-hards falling in love, but discerning readers would be wise to look elsewhere for their...
Less ambitious than Chris Gall’s widely known Dinotrux (2009) and sequels, this British import systematically relegates each dinosaur/construction-equipment hybrid to its most logical job.
The title figures are introduced as bigger than both diggers and dinosaurs, and rhyming text and two construction-helmeted kids show just what these creatures are capable of. Each diggersaur has a specific job to do and a distinct sound effect. The dozersaurus moves rocks with a “SCRAAAAPE!!!” while the rollersaurus flattens lumps with a cheery “TOOT TOOT!!” Each diggersaur is numbered, with 12 in all, allowing this to be a counting book on the sly. As the diggersaurs (not all of which dig) perform jobs that regular construction equipment can do, albeit on a larger scale, there is no particular reason why any of them should have dinosaurlike looks other than just ’cause. Peppy computer art tries valiantly to attract attention away from the singularly unoriginal text. “Diggersaurs dig with bites so BIG, / each SCOOP creates a crater. // They’re TOUGH and STRONG / with necks so long— / they’re super EXCAVATORS!” Far more interesting are the two human characters, a white girl and a black boy, that flit about the pictures offering commentary and action. Much of the fun of the book can be found in trying to spot them on every two-page spread.
Count on construction die-hards falling in love, but discerning readers would be wise to look elsewhere for their dino/construction kicks. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 2, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-9848-4779-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Jan. 14, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Parent-child love and affection, appealingly presented, with the added attraction of the seasonal content and lack of gender...
A polar-bear parent speaks poetically of love for a child.
A genderless adult and cub travel through the landscapes of an arctic year. Each of the softly rendered double-page paintings has a very different feel and color palette as the pair go through the seasons, walking through wintry ice and snow and green summer meadows, cavorting in the blue ocean, watching whales, and playing beside musk oxen. The rhymes of the four-line stanzas are not forced, as is the case too often in picture books of this type: “When cold, winter winds / blow the leaves far and wide, / You’ll cross the great icebergs / with me by your side.” On a dark, snowy night, the loving parent says: “But for now, cuddle close / while the stars softly shine. // I’ll always be yours, / and you’ll always be mine.” As the last illustration shows the pair curled up for sleep, young listeners will be lulled to sweet dreams by the calm tenor of the pictures and the words. While far from original, this timeless theme is always in demand, and the combination of delightful illustrations and poetry that scans well make this a good choice for early-childhood classrooms, public libraries, and one-on-one home read-alouds.
Parent-child love and affection, appealingly presented, with the added attraction of the seasonal content and lack of gender restrictions. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-68010-070-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
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