A comprehensive anthology of favorite children’s activity rhymes that is sure to have children building churches with their fingers; celebrating all the animals on Old Macdonald’s farm; and rowing their boat gently down the stream. Multiple verses are continued across double-page spreads while shorter poems are grouped together on pages around a central theme. A little bear draws readers along from one rhyme to the next, with a somewhat ephemeral connection between verses. So, for instance, as the players recite Here’s the Church, skeletons (from the church graveyard?) can be seen sprinting across the background. On the next page, they are lined up to sing Dem Bones. Likewise, they join in the Hokey Pokey and follow the bear to help point out Head Shoulders Knees and Toes. Brightly colored watercolor illustrations feature people and animals playing along with the rhyming instructions in each poem. While most illustrations lack oomph, parents, educators, and Foreman’s legions of fans will turn to this one to prompt their memories of long-forgotten poems or to learn new ones. An index of first lines and a primer on the activities or motions that should accompany the verses follows the collection. What it lacks in visual excitement, it makes up for in thoroughness. A perfect companion to Michael Forman’s Mother Goose (1991). (Nonfiction. 2-6)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-7636-1812-8
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2002
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Energetic woodcuts accompany playfully simple poems as they give young readers an engaging tour of the barnyard. From the usual suspects—rooster, cow, sheep—to some of the less celebrated denizens of the farm—snake, bees, turtle—each poem varies to suit its subject. The barn cat’s verse is succinct: “Mice / had better / think twice.” The snake’s winds its way down the page in sinuous shape. At their best, Elliott’s images are unexpected and all the more lovely: The turtle “Lifts her fossil head / and blinks / one, two, three / times in the awful light.” Others are not so successful, but Meade’s illustrations give them credence: The rooster “Crows and struts. / He’s got feathers! / He’s got guts!” This rhythmic but rather opaque assertion is accompanied by an oversized rooster who dominates the foreground; eyes shut in concentration, he levitates himself with the force of his crow—the very embodiment of “guts.” Farmyard books are a dime a dozen, but this one is a worthwhile addition, for those poems that reach beyond the ordinary and for the good-natured illustrations that complement them. (Picture book/poetry. 2-5)
Pub Date: March 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-7636-3322-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2008
A testament to the universality of love.
An expanded explanation of love in both English and Spanish.
Several animal personalities pose the question, “What is love?” and in a series of lift-the-flap responses present various emotional scenarios. Little Elephant asks Spider, “Is it the joy of having you around?” Spider asks, “Is it the way you lift me when I’m down?” Each page corresponds to a flap that reveals one of a multitude of feelings love can evoke in either an English or Spanish rhyme, which are not direct translations of each other. An interspersed refrain notes, “Amor for the Spanish, / and love en inglés. / Love in any language / always means the same.” A palette of pastels and purple and pink hues dominate as hearts abound on each page, surrounding the characters, who are adorable though on the overly sweet side. The characters are from the bilingual preschool series Canticos, though it will work even among those without knowledge of the show. Children more fluent in Spanish will be better able to appreciate this, and those familiar with the show will recognize the signature characters, including “Los Pollitos” (Little Chickies). (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A testament to the universality of love. (Board book. 3-6)Pub Date: Nov. 8, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-945635-72-4
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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