While both titles utilize vibrant photos and easy-to-open flaps, First Numbers is the more successful offering of the two.
A straightforward, clear counting book for little ones.
On each page, the direct text asks readers how many of each object are pictured, starting with one cupcake and continuing up to 10 buttons. The exterior of a flap that takes up much of the page shows photographs of one cupcake, two kittens, three butterflies and so on. The inside of the flap reveals the object again, sometimes in a different configuration or color, along with a clear representation of the numeral. The dotted lines that show youngsters how to trace the written number with their fingers are nice features and give this title a longer shelf life. The die-cut handle at the top of the book is unnecessary, but it doesn’t interfere with the images on the internal pages. First Colors, a companion title in this series, explores colors using a nearly identical format. Readers are invited to name the color of an object on the outside of a flap and then peruse additional objects in this hue on the inside. While the photos are quite vivid and striking, there are a few missteps here and there. The “orange” starfish looks a little too brown, the yellow cordless phone is starting to look dated, and children still learning about the size and scale of things may be confused by a beetle that is nearly the size of a car tire. Health conscious parents may wonder about the inclusion of so many sugary foods (cupcakes, candy, chocolate and doughnuts).
While both titles utilize vibrant photos and easy-to-open flaps, First Numbers is the more successful offering of the two. (Board book. 18 mos.-3)Pub Date: March 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-58925-630-9
Page Count: 10
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: March 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2013
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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