Bunny hunts for an Easter egg as young readers wag her tail.
When readers pull the large, smoothly moving tab on the right edge of the book, a mechanism inside moves the rabbit’s puffball tail, covered in white felt, that protrudes over the top of the pages. The back cover extends higher than the front and internal pages to protect the tail—and little fingers—as it moves. Bunny finds three eggs, one on each double-page spread, but they belong to a butterfly, a duckling, and a robin, respectively. (The butterfly’s and the duckling’s eggs are brightly painted Easter eggs; the robin’s are its clutch of bright blue eggs in a nest.) The sound that each animal makes is written on the bottom right corner of the previous recto, providing a clue as to who will be appearing on the next page. (“Flap! Flap!” goes the butterfly; “Chirp! Chirp!” goes the robin.) Bunny becomes more and more despondent, with her ears sinking lower on the page. A trio of bees finally brings Bunny her egg, tied up with a yellow bow. While the cartoons are relatively static, using thick, black lines awash in bright colors, Yoon succeeds in showing Bunny’s feelings with deft changes in eye and mouth placement.
A pleasant, if one-note, bit of fun, the perfect size for a toddler’s Easter basket. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 28, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5344-4344-0
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2020
Categories: CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS
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Animal parents declare their love for their offspring in alphabetical order.
Each page displays an enormous capital letter, one line of verse with the keyword capitalized, and a loving nonhuman parent gazing adoringly at their baby. “A is for Always. I always love you more. / B is for Butterfly kisses. It’s you that I adore.” While not named or labelled as such, the A is also for an alligator and its hatchling and B is for a butterfly and a butterfly child (not a caterpillar—biology is not the aim of this title) interacting in some way with the said letter. For E there are an elephant and a calf; U features a unicorn and foal; and X, keyed to the last letter of the animal’s name, corresponds to a fox and three pups. The final double-page spread shows all the featured creatures and their babies as the last line declares: “Baby, I love you from A to Z!” The verse is standard fare and appropriately sentimental. The art is cartoony-cute and populated by suitably loving critters on solid backgrounds. Hearts accent each scene, but the theme of the project is never in any doubt.
Perfect for Valentine’s Day, but the syrupy sweetness will cloy after the holiday. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-7282-2095-6
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Jan. 27, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2021
Categories: CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S FAMILY | CHILDREN'S ANIMALS
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The farmyard's chickens experience Halloween.
A round, full moon shines in the sky, and the chickens of Boynton's barnyard are feeling “nervous.” Pumpkins shine “with flickering eyes,” witches and wizards wander the pastures, and one chicken has seen “a mouse of enormous size.” It’s Halloween night, and readers will delight as the chickens huddle together and try to figure out what's going on. All ends well, of course, and in Boynton's trademark silly style. (It’s really quite remarkable how her ranks of white, yellow-beaked chickens evoke rows of candy corn.) At this point parents and children know what they're in for when they pick up a book by the prolific author, and she doesn't disappoint here. The chickens are silly, the pigs are cute, and the coloring and illustrations evoke a warmth that little ones wary of Halloween will appreciate. For children leery of the ghouls and goblins lurking in the holiday's iconography, this is a perfect antidote, emphasizing all the fun Halloween has to offer.
An excellent, rounded effort from a creator who knows how to deliver. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Aug. 23, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-7611-9300-5
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Workman
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Categories: CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS
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