Grown-ups should not be surprised if their own little ones start asking for a tickle behind the ear and a back rub as part...
It’s late, and Little Rabbit must go to bed, so toddlers are invited to help him settle down in this bedtime storybook.
This sweet board book, originally published in German, invites toddlers to participate in Little Rabbit’s bedtime ritual and then rewards them for their helpfulness. As the book starts, readers see Little Rabbit from behind and are encouraged to tap him on the shoulder; will he turn around? A turn of the page will show their tapping worked! Now readers will see Little Rabbit’s pajamas laid out and ready to be put on. How can little ones help? By clapping of course! Sure enough, as the page turns, readers will see Little Rabbit now has his pajamas on. And so it goes as little ones fluff a pillow, say “Hoppity-hop,” tickle Little Rabbit’s ears and then gently stroke his back, tuck Little Rabbit in, give him a kiss, and, finally, turn the light out. Interactivity—here powered entirely by the page turn—can indeed be magical for little ones! Mühle’s simply outlined illustrations on clean, pastel-colored backgrounds have a gentle quality perfectly suited to the bedtime theme.
Grown-ups should not be surprised if their own little ones start asking for a tickle behind the ear and a back rub as part of their own bedtime rituals. (Board book. 6 mos.-3) (Board book6 mos.-3)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-776570-76-8
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Gecko Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 29, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.
A collection of parental wishes for a child.
It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
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