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A white child and parent go to the animal shelter, where they see all sorts of puppies.
Following the formula of their earlier A Carnival of Cats (2015), Ghigna and Bridgeman introduce a variety of breeds in rhyming verse and friendly, full-color pictures. After an opening setup page, the book presents on recto a framed picture of a winsome puppy face over text that conveys some key characteristics and reveals the breed in a full-bleed picture on verso of the next spread. “White coat. Black spots. / Friendly and smart. // A loyal Dalmation [sic] / who stole my heart!” Not all the clues are as apropos as this first example, however. While “a puppy / with little legs” can reasonably be concluded to be a dachshund, “a puppy, / furry and fun” could be just about anything but a Mexican hairless; the fact that it’s a “Golden Retriever / the color of sun!” seems arbitrary as well as awkwardly written. “Yellow and black” describes a beagle’s necktie rather than anything inherent to the breed; the pup is also called “regal,” which assists the rhyme but feels quite incongruous to the breed. Bridgeman’s illustrations are cute and appealing, but they are so stylized that not all the puppies look particularly puppylike. Adults wishing to introduce their toddlers to dog breeds would be better off seeking a book illustrated with photographs and written better.
Skip . (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Aug. 23, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4598-0963-5
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character.
One of Boynton's signature characters celebrates Halloween.
It's Halloween time, and Pookie the pig is delighted. Mom helps the little porker pick out the perfect Halloween costume, a process that spans the entire board book. Using an abcb rhyme scheme, Boynton dresses Pookie in a series of cheerful costumes, including a dragon, a bunny, and even a caped superhero. Pookie eventually settles on the holiday classic, a ghost, by way of a bedsheet. Boynton sprinkles in amusing asides to her stanzas as Pookie offers costume commentary ("It's itchy"; "It's hot"; "I feel silly"). Little readers will enjoy the notion of transforming themselves with their own Halloween costumes while reading this book, and a few parents may get some ideas as well. Boynton's clean, sharp illustrations are as good as ever. This is Pookie's first holiday title, but readers will surely welcome more.
A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: July 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-553-51233-5
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Robin Corey/Random
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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