A playful romp.
Die-cut holes transform shapes into smiling critters.
Little ones are presented with some abstract lines and dots on the left-hand side of each double-page spread, accompanied by open-ended questions, such as “Who could this be?” Die-cut holes, in a variety of abstract shapes, appear on the right-hand page, and simplified faces peer out. When readers turn the page, two new animals are unveiled. An ellipse-shaped hole produces both a fish and a frog’s head, and a semicircle creates both a cat’s face and a bunny’s. With simple, inviting graphics in cheery, flat colors, Yonezu’s art steals the show. The cleverest reveal is the crosshatch shape that turns into the snout of a crocodile. On the final spread, toddlers see an unframed, smiling face accompanied by the query, “Now who’s smiling?” When youngsters close the book they see the cartoon face of a light-skinned baby grinning through the die-cut hole—it’s a pity that the introduction of this lone human character blunts the book’s inclusivity. As many toddlers (and adults) will be hard-pressed to guess what the abstract shapes will transform into, they will enjoy the die-cut format and the friendly faces inside.
A playful romp. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: May 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-988-8341-03-0
Page Count: 28
Publisher: minedition
Review Posted Online: April 12, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
As with many holiday gifts, the sparkly packaging may interest toddlers more than what’s inside.
Readers can count down eight of Santa's reindeer as they jump up and out of the scene.
In each one of the mostly double-page spreads, one reindeer, from Dasher to Blitzen, plays a central role in a winter activity (sledding, ski jumping, ice skating—and soccer and yoga?) that launches the creature into the air. Glitter-speckled tabs, each with small portraits of a member of Santa's herd, appear at either the top or the right side of each page, which little fingers will enjoy flipping. In what looks to be pencil-and-watercolor cartoons, Rogers uses different facial expressions, as well as collars, bows or other accessories, to distinguish the reindeer from one another. Donner (not Donder) and Blitzen are squeezed together on the penultimate spread, likely to keep the page count down. The verse mostly scans, but the rhyme scheme has become the cliché of counting books: "Eight jolly reindeer / stretching up to heaven. / Up goes Dasher / and then there are... // Seven...." Santa, his iconic sleigh and the eight reindeer in flight make a dramatic and required appearance on the book's final double-page spread.
As with many holiday gifts, the sparkly packaging may interest toddlers more than what’s inside. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Aug. 10, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-545-65145-5
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 2, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
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