A clear and winning guide to a key social grace; share and repeat as necessary. (Board book. 1-4)
Sharing can be fun, although it may have its limits.
Author/illustrator Leung poses a social and ethical dilemma in this book and a practical problem in the equally charming companion volume, Will Sheep Sleep? Bear has lots to offer, but will she? Consecutive double-page spreads offer a series of questions and answers: “Will Bear share her berries?” / “Yes.” / “Will Bear share her book?” / “Yes.” / “Will Bear share her toothbrush?” / “NO! Toothbrushes are not for sharing.” Bear and her adorable animal pals act out each vignette against lightly textured backgrounds of several different hues. The presentation is uncluttered and pleasing to the eye, and the simply rendered characters have abundant personality. The drama heats up when Bear is asked to share her favorite toy (after due deliberation, she does) and, finally, her ice cream. This, apparently, is where Bear draws her line in the sand, but when her coneful of ice cream lands on the ground, her hungry crocodile friend kindly consoles her. Fortunately, Ladybug comes to the rescue with a large berry cake to be shared by all. As Ladybug, Bear, and friends enjoy the cake, readers are asked, “What do you share?” The final panel, appropriately enough, shows Bear and her alligator friend brushing their teeth together, each with their own toothbrush, of course.
A clear and winning guide to a key social grace; share and repeat as necessary. (Board book. 1-4)Pub Date: May 29, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-338-21559-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 10, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
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
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Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come.
Little Blue Truck and his pal Toad meet friends old and new on a springtime drive through the country.
This lift-the-flap, interactive entry in the popular Little Blue Truck series lacks the narrative strength and valuable life lessons of the original Little Blue Truck (2008) and its sequel, Little Blue Truck Leads the Way (2009). Both of those books, published for preschoolers rather than toddlers, featured rich storylines, dramatic, kinetic illustrations, and simple but valuable life lessons—the folly of taking oneself too seriously, the importance of friends, and the virtue of taking turns, for example. At about half the length and with half as much text as the aforementioned titles, this volume is a much quicker read. Less a story than a vernal celebration, the book depicts a bucolic drive through farmland and encounters with various animals and their young along the way. Beautifully rendered two-page tableaux teem with butterflies, blossoms, and vibrant pastel, springtime colors. Little Blue greets a sheep standing in the door of a barn: “Yoo-hoo, Sheep! / Beep-beep! / What’s new?” Folding back the durable, card-stock flap reveals the barn’s interior and an adorable set of twin lambs. Encounters with a duck and nine ducklings, a cow with a calf, a pig with 10 (!) piglets, a family of bunnies, and a chicken with a freshly hatched chick provide ample opportunity for counting and vocabulary work.
Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come. (Board book. 1-4)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-544-93809-0
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
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