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SAY HELLO LIKE THIS

Name: SAY HELLO LIKE THIS
Author: Mary Murphy
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6951-5

From the ...Like This series

by Mary Murphy ; illustrated by Mary Murphy ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 11, 2014

A hoot (pun intended).

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Toddlers and their adults nationwide will welcome with open arms this clever coupling of animal sounds and lift-the-flap elements.

In this book for children newly aware of the delights of saying, “Hello,” Murphy introduces a variety of familiar animals and describes their individual forms of greeting. “A dog hello is licky and loud… / like this! bow-wow-wow-wow!” Lift the flap, and two affable canines leap and prance, tongues every which way, their barks sprawling across the page. Most of the birds and beasts here are the usual animal-sound-book suspects (cats, frogs, chickens, etc.), though a pair of tip-tapping beetles makes for an unexpected and pleasing change of pace. Murphy’s thick, black outlines and bright (but never garish) colors will do well with large groups, and the half-page flaps that turn to reveal the various animal sounds will guarantee that this becomes a crowd pleaser. While few would argue that there is a dearth of quality animal-sound books out there, fewer still would fail to be charmed by Murphy’s smartly targeted book for the ankle-biter set.

A hoot (pun intended). (Picture book. 1-4)

Pub Date: Feb. 11, 2014

ISBN: 978-0-7636-6951-5

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Candlewick

Review Posted Online: Nov. 30, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2013

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS

- BOOK REVIEW
WHAT I LIKE MOST
by Mary Murphy ; illustrated by Zhu Cheng-Liang

- BOOK REVIEW
ONLY A TREE KNOWS HOW TO BE A TREE
by Mary Murphy ; illustrated by Mary Murphy

- BOOK REVIEW
MOUSE IS SMALL
by Mary Murphy ; illustrated by Mary Murphy

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SPOOKY POOKIE

by Sandra Boynton ; illustrated by Sandra Boynton ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 7, 2015

A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character.

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

- BOOK REVIEW
HIPPOS REMAIN CALM
by Sandra Boynton ; illustrated by Sandra Boynton

- BOOK REVIEW
WOO HOO! YOU'RE DOING GREAT!
by Sandra Boynton ; illustrated by Sandra Boynton

- BOOK REVIEW
HAPPY EASTER, LITTLE POOKIE
by Sandra Boynton ; illustrated by Sandra Boynton

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LITTLE BLUE TRUCK'S SPRINGTIME

From the Little Blue Truck series

by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 2, 2018

Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come.

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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)