Carpenter’s predicable, interactive titles in the I Say, You Say series offer appealing introductions to basic concepts just...
This new addition to the I Say, You Say series invites a young audience to playfully explore the world of emotions.
Quickly falling into a predictable and comforting pattern, the left-hand page introduces a feeling—“I say happy, you say…”—and the gatefold flap on the right-hand page lifts to reveal a corresponding response: “SMILE!” Other feelings include grumpy, silly, sad, excited, sleepy, hurt and love. The bright, busy pages, which star wide-eyed, cartoon-style animal characters in situations typically associated with the emotions featured, will appeal to little ones and help them to understand the concepts presented. For instance, a scowling cat getting drenched in the rain illustrates “grumpy”; a crying gorilla with a bee sting on his thumb aptly represents “hurt”; and pairs of cuddling and kissing animals symbolize “love.” In companion title Colors! (978-0-316-20072-1), the left-hand page offers an object—“I say apples, you say…”—and the gatefold reveals the name of the color: “RED!” Little ones will enjoy the repetition and interactivity of these offerings, celebrating as they correctly guess the words hiding under the flaps.
Carpenter’s predicable, interactive titles in the I Say, You Say series offer appealing introductions to basic concepts just right for toddlers and preschoolers. (Picture book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-316-20074-5
Page Count: 18
Publisher: LB Kids/Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Nov. 26, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2013
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Perfect for Valentine’s Day, but the syrupy sweetness will cloy after the holiday.
Animal parents declare their love for their offspring in alphabetical order.
Each page displays an enormous capital letter, one line of verse with the keyword capitalized, and a loving nonhuman parent gazing adoringly at their baby. “A is for Always. I always love you more. / B is for Butterfly kisses. It’s you that I adore.” While not named or labelled as such, the A is also for an alligator and its hatchling and B is for a butterfly and a butterfly child (not a caterpillar—biology is not the aim of this title) interacting in some way with the said letter. For E there are an elephant and a calf; U features a unicorn and foal; and X, keyed to the last letter of the animal’s name, corresponds to a fox and three pups. The final double-page spread shows all the featured creatures and their babies as the last line declares: “Baby, I love you from A to Z!” The verse is standard fare and appropriately sentimental. The art is cartoony-cute and populated by suitably loving critters on solid backgrounds. Hearts accent each scene, but the theme of the project is never in any doubt.
Perfect for Valentine’s Day, but the syrupy sweetness will cloy after the holiday. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-7282-2095-6
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2021
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
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