Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this bedtime fantasy, a toddler responds to invitations from various animals to "come away" with them. Adler's (All of Baby, Nose to Toes) story unfolds in four episodes-as the toddler plays with a bird, cat, dog, and fish-followed by a coda in which the boy's mother tucks him into bed. Each outing opens with a "Baby, come away," greeting, joined by verse that plays around within the fairly complex metric structure that Adler sets up, with varying success. The staccato rhymes pull readers through the story ("Let's run in the sun/ Past the garden patch./ I'll throw you a twig/ And we'll play catch/ With a skip and a jump/ And a tumble all around"), but variations also create lines that readers may trip over ("With a bird suit, feather cap, stocking on your legs,/ You'll warm my eggs/ And we'll have tea/ In our tip-top tree"). Walker's (Baby Says "Moo!") round-headed toddler and friendly, dot-eyed animals populate smudgy and warm scenes that capture the boy's body language and the welcoming nature of the worlds he explores. Ages 1-4. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Though there's no shortage of books that delight in toddler love, this offering is destined to become a cherished favorite. Utterly charming paintings show a little boy being enticed away by a quartet of adorable animals, one after the other, each offering a scenario of how they'll spend their time together. The bird wants baby to come away to her nest and munch on worms, the cat to a boat on a milky sea, the puppy to play outside and to chew on a bone, and the fish to an enchanting undersea grotto. Full of rhyme, alliteration, and playful wording, the text lends itself to group reading or one-on-one sharing equally well: "With a toe tap, finger snap, circle on the sand./An octopus will take your hand./A dance for you/And a dance for me." The text has a songlike cadence that is a joy to read out loud, with the perfect amount of repeating refrains to tie sections together. Finally, day ends and baby returns to mama's wide-open arms. The message of safety and unconditional love is reinforced as the baby is tucked into bed with the four friends looking on.-Anna Haase Krueger, Antigo Public Library, WI (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
All of Baby, Nose to Toes, illustrated by Hiroe Nakata (2009). (Picture book. 2-4)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
