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24 pp.
| Sterling
| January, 2017
|
TradeISBN 978-1-4549-1721-2$9.95
(4)
PS
Illustrated by
Sydney Hanson.
The youngest readers can practice their animal sounds with this rather sentimental rhyme in which a pair of human parents reveal to their kids what animal parents are saying to their young when they make their characteristic noises (quack, baaa, etc.): "PSST! Guess what? It's I LOVE YOU!" In the soft-focus illustrations, the human family watches large-eyed, smiling animals in parent-child groupings.
32 pp.
| Sterling
| August, 2017
|
TradeISBN 978-1-4549-2060-1$16.95
(3)
PS
Illustrated by
Sophie Burrows.
In a nicely repetitive rhyming text, a child counts down the last ten sleeps until the first day of school and speculates what might happen there: "I'll paint and glue, / draw a picture or two." At book's end, we see the exuberant little-boy narrator doing those very activities in kindergarten. Burrows's watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations are sweet and ably capture that first-day excitement.
28 pp.
| Sterling
| January, 2015
|
TradeISBN 978-1-4549-0507-3$9.95
(4)
PS
Illustrated by
Jed Henry.
A kitten describes how much he misses his grammy and his military dad who is stationed overseas. Just when the longing becomes too much, the family is happily reunited. Little ones may identify with the kitten's feelings, but the rhyming text feels forced or inconsistent sometimes, and the art, though warm, adds to the sentimental tone of the book.
32 pp.
| Dial
| March, 2012
|
TradeISBN 978-0-8037-3717-4$16.99
(3)
PS
Illustrated by
R. W. Alley.
"Dads who never grew up really remember...that basements can be scary...and that sitting still is almost impossible." The text of this chirpy valentine to fathers is accompanied by illustrations of four father-child pairs modeling childish behavior. This subject is utterly familiar and yet the presentation is full of surprises, such as when one dad loses his toupee.
32 pp.
| Dial
| November, 2012
|
TradeISBN 978-0-8037-3758-7$16.99
(2)
K-3
Illustrated by
Holly Berry.
This picture-book biography opens in a dreary French village where the young Henri Matisse didn't "excel at much of anything--except, perhaps, dreaming." As the story describes his years as an artist, Berry's illustrations directly mimic Matisse's Fauvist use of color and maturing style. Parker's lyrical text and Berry's impressive mixed-media pictures fully encompass Matisse's chronology, aspirations, and talents.
Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
March, 2013
32 pp.
| Kids Can
| March, 2010
|
TradeISBN 978-1-55337-682-8$16.95
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Joseph Kelly.
Groups of animals identified by collective nouns--"an army of Ants," "a sloth of Bears," "a bask of Crocodiles"--enjoy the pleasures of a seaside town in this entertaining alphabet book. Clever art reveals the text’s witticisms; "a bloat of Hippos," for example, exercises on stationary bicycles. The close-up perspective puts readers in the middle of the frequently raucous action.
32 pp.
| Dutton
| February, 2008
|
TradeISBN 978-0-525-47950-5$15.99
(4)
PS
Illustrated by
Mike Wohnoutka.
Dandelion Duckling convinces overprotective Mama Quack to let him go exploring. He narrowly escapes a pike and a hawk, saved just in time by his mom. Duckling soon learns the dangers of the pond and reverses roles by warning Mama Quack about a menacing weasel. In this overly cautionary story, companionable paintings of mother and duckling display the drama of the pond.
32 pp.
| Kids Can
| September, 2002
|
TradeISBN 1-55074-957-9$$15.95
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Anne Wilson.
On the day their beloved, cancer-stricken dog is to be put to sleep, a boy and his family celebrate Jasper's life by taking him to see his favorite places and people. The realistic portrait of a child coping with loss is understated and poignant. Soft chalk pastel illustrations complement the first-person text.