Disappointing.
Is it a puppet? Is it a book? It’s both.
Extra-thick pages and a small trim size make this novelty book appealing to toddlers. The baby dinosaur finger puppet that pokes through the center hole is made out of a diamond-patterned turquoise fabric with a stitched-on smile on its face. It is utterly charming, though it is also pictured with yellow felt spikes running down its back, a physical feature this species of dinosaur did not have. The slight story (primarily one sentence per spread) describes Baby T. Rex’s attempts to be “the biggest baddest dino ever!” Confusingly, the finger puppet is static—and perpetually smiling. The dark backgrounds in the book make it difficult to see or imagine her actions. When she stomps her feet, only her head moves. Her roar is silent. Grandpa T. Rex is certainly fierce-looking, but his dark body is difficult to distinguish from an equally dark background. Sadly, all of the baby dinosaur’s practice at ferocity is for naught. The book ends with her apologizing to Grandpa and going to sleep. Companion book Baby Yeti follows a similar format. The yeti is white with a turquoise face and sparkly gold horns. But the yeti, referred to as “he,” has a more active role—building a snow castle, skating, and sledding. Taken together, they deliver a possibly unintentional message about the agency of males and the lack of such for females.
Disappointing. (Novelty board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 28, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-7972-0567-0
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2021
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
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
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