Sunday, September 25, 2011

Review: Little Rabbit Goes to School


Little Rabbit Goes to School
Little Rabbit Goes to School by Harry Horse

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Little Rabbit Goes to School is a silly and cute tale that can be a starting point for discussions about taking responsibility for one's actions. The story is about Little Rabbit's first day of school, and he insists on taking his little wooden toy, Charlie Horse, with him. Throughout the day, he does several things that are bad, but even the narration pins the blame on Charlie Horse. "Next they made little cakes. But Charlie Horse was naughty and jumped into the cake batter." However, the illustration clearly shows Little Bunny tossing the toy into the batter. The dissonance between how things are described and what is actually happening is amusing, and the art is precious, detailed, and colorful. Of course, Little Bunny learns the error of his ways by the end of the book, and decides to leave Charlie Horse at home with his mother for the next day, saying, "He's too naughty for school." Recommended.



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Review: Little One Step


Little One Step
Little One Step by Simon James

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Little One Step is a cute story about perseverance and not giving up. It's the tale of three brother ducklings who get lost far from their mother and have to make their way back to her. The littlest duckling is very tired, and doesn't think he can make it, until his older brother teaches him a trick: Lift your foot up and say "One," and say "Step" as you put it down. Just by taking things one step at a time, you can accomplish even the most daunting task. Since the littlest duckling was so good at it, his brother decided that his new name should be Little One Step. The drawings, sometimes a handful of separate pictures on each page, are adorable, and the palate of yellows, oranges, and brown in watercolor with black pen make for visually appealing illustrations. Recommended.



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Review: Heat Wave


Heat Wave
Heat Wave by Eileen Spinelli

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Heat Wave is a fun picture book about the weather. In the days before air conditioning, a huge heat wave hits the city, and it gets hotter and hotter every day of the week. The art is reminiscent of some of the older newspaper comics, and it has a certain charm to it. It gives children an idea of how people used to deal with the heat before the conveniences of modern technology, and practice with the days of the week. Recommended.



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Review: Milo's Hat Trick

Milo's Hat Trick
Milo's Hat Trick by Jon Agee

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Milo's Hat Trick is a charming book about a bumbling magician who can't seem to get his tricks right. His boss threatens to fire him unless he can pull a rabbit out of his hat for his next show, so Milo sets out to catch a rabbit. Surprisingly, his carrot bait instead lures in a helpful bear who has learned from a rabbit how to hide in hats. The drawings are simple and cartoonish, and manage to convey emotion well. Milo's red hair and mustache are usually the brightest thing on the page, drawing attention to him. Recommended.



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Review: Uncle Peter's Amazing Chinese Wedding


Uncle Peter's Amazing Chinese Wedding
Uncle Peter's Amazing Chinese Wedding by Lenore Look

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Uncle Peter's Amazing Chinese Wedding is a good book to teach your child a little bit about Chinese wedding traditions. It might also help a young one get over his or her feelings of jealousy if they think that a relative is ignoring him or her in favor of a new spouse. The narrator of the book, a young girl, is very sad on the day of her favorite uncle's wedding, and feeling neglected and ignored. She is reluctantly dragged through the stages of her uncle's wedding, and describes them and explains how they would have been different a hundred years ago, or two hundred years ago. The illustrations are simple, colorful, and a bit busy. It almost seems as though the narrator might have drawn them to aid in telling her story. Recommended.



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Review: Five Creatures


Five Creatures
Five Creatures by Emily Jenkins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This cute picture book would be a fun read to share with your child. The text, whimsically drifting along the borders of the full-page illustrations, details common characteristics of five creatures, namely a little girl, her mother, her father, and their two cats. The erasure of the line that separates humans and animals in this family is very interesting, and the different groups that they split into can provide good conversational material for a parent and child. It's funny how many likes and hobbies the humans share with the cats, though in slightly different ways. For instance, of the five, there are "Four who have a knack with yarn." The picture shows the mother and daughter knitting scarves as the cats play with balls of yarn on the floor. The art is cute and simple, with soft borders between colors and skewed perspectives. Recommended, especially for children in households with cats or other pets.



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Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Review: Little Red Riding Hood


Little Red Riding Hood
Little Red Riding Hood by Jerry Pinkney

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Fans of classic stories and art alike will find something to enjoy in this interpretation of Little Red Riding Hood. The large, detailed illustrations are very realistic while at the same time exhibiting a sketchiness and a nuanced use of lines to bestow a feeling of dreaminess, as though we are seeing through the pictures to their very essences. The sense of slight unreality is heightened by the use of soft watercolors. Because Pinkney chose to set the story in the wintertime, Little Red Riding Hood's bright red cloak is the focal point of every page she's on. Since the story is so well-known, the text almost isn't needed; the pictures seem to tell the story all by themselves. Recommended for children of all ages.



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Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Review: Furry Friends: Flip-a-Face


Furry Friends: Flip-a-Face
Furry Friends: Flip-a-Face by SAMi

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



An interactive book about identity and illustration, Furry Friends is a board book worth sharing with your child. Bright colors and blocky shapes make for a visually pleasing layout. The book's simple text elicits good conversation between child and parent, or could be bypassed for more basic enjoyment of the subject matter. While young children can interact with the cutouts and colors, older children will have fun identifying the differences between facial features on animals. This would be especially recommended for animal lovers, or children who would enjoy the practice of identifying species or parts of the face. The variety of settings pictured around the animals and the differences between domesticated and wild animals are also rich topics for parent-child conversations. This book would be best for children under 3.



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