Get toddlers ready for Halloween with this rhyming counting book.
Foil accents and layered, increasingly small die-cut windows invite young readers into a mildly haunted house. The windows are integrated into the Halloween decor on each spread, conveniently providing a way to easily grasp and turn the thick pages. The subtle shrinking of the windows by 1/16 of an inch with each page turn is disguised by outlining the windows on the recto page. On the cover, the windows are 1 ½ inch wide by 2 ½ inches high; by the time readers reach “9 sleepy cats,” the windows are only 1 inch by 1 ½ inches. The final spread with “10 trick-or-treaters” has no windows, just 10 costumed children surrounded by examples of the Halloween symbols counted earlier. The rhymes work so well even young children can supply the word needed to complete each couplet. The cadence is also consistent. Young children will notice the decorative parts of the pictures, but the objects to be counted in each illustration are clear. These are typical Halloween fare: a skeleton, jack-o’-lanterns, bats, ghosts, spiders, cats. Many children (and adults) will assume they should count four frogs until they notice the text that identifies them as “4 playful toads”—if they see it. On that page, the black lettering on a dark green background is particularly hard to discern.
This count is not a bit scary. (Board book. 1-4)Pub Date: July 6, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-66435-000-7
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2021
Categories: CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS | CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS
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Little ones are taught their ABCs with Christmas iconography.
A CAT nibbles on a candy cane, and FOXES sing holiday carols, while LANTERNS glow and ORNAMENTS sparkle on festive trees. Christmas is in the air, and so are the letters of the alphabet. Each letter gets a corresponding Christmas illustration, charmingly colored and cozily composed. The easily read text beneath each picture forms rhyming couplets (“GEESE with gumdrops stacked up tall. / HOME is where we deck the halls”), with the key word set in all caps. The imagery mixes spiritual and secular icons side by side: there are baby JESUS, SANTA, the “Three kind KINGS,” and (a little mystifyingly) “UNICORNS donning underwear.” The warm color palette draws little readers in, and the illustrations have a gingerbread-cookie aesthetic, though there is no real attempt to include Christmas traditions such as luminaria from nondominant cultures. The picture that groups a stereotypical Eskimo, an igloo, and some penguins will madden many readers on both cultural and geographical fronts.
A sweet but standard-issue Christmas read. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 27, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-7624-6125-7
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Running Press Kids
Review Posted Online: Nov. 2, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Categories: CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS
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Rhyming couplets use the alphabet to simply explain the abstract concept of kindness.
Each letter of the alphabet stands for a word that adds nuance to the notion while line drawings of pink-cheeked stuffed animals—bear, bunny, elephant, mouse, lion, and giraffe—illustrate the behavior. The verses hint at exactly how to act kindly. Some are concrete: “Ii is for inviting everyone to play.” Some suggest attitudes that facilitate kindness. For example, “Bb is for believing things will be okay in the end!” and “Hh is for hope—tomorrow’s another day!” While many might take issue with the simplistic assertion that “Ee is for everyone—we are all the same,” taken as a whole, the book will lead even the youngest toddlers to the message. Organizationally, the book devotes one page each to 11 letters while 14 others share pages. “Zz is sleeping peacefully when your day of kindness is through” sprawls across a final double-page spread, showing all the animals fast asleep. Creating an ABC book is harder than this makes it look. The true test is what is chosen to represent Q, X, Y, and Z. “Quiet times,” “Yes I can,” and the aforementioned “zzz”s ably rise to the challenge. “Xx is for kisses” is a bit of a stretch but understandable. Pastel backgrounds, uncluttered design, and unforced rhymes keep the focus on the concept.
Light, friendly, and not at all preachy—a gentle win for a kinder world. (Board book. 1-4)Pub Date: Dec. 24, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-593-12307-2
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Rodale Kids
Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2020
Categories: CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS
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