Review by New York Times Review
The killdeer chick who narrates this cheerful book is a chipper fellow. From the moment he hatches, he's on the move, learning about himself and his world. "These legs just want to run-run-run!/First thing I'm learning?/Running's fun." His Narcissus moment, when he discovers his reflection in the farm pond, is particularly sweet : "I've studied me, and oh, my word./I am one amazing bird!" Corace's ink-and-watercolor illustrations suggest he's not just preening. NEST Written and illustrated by Jorey Hurley. 40 pp. Paula Wiseman/ Simon & Schuster. $16.99. (Picture book; ages 2 to 5) Hurley's silk-screen-like images of American robins building nests, hopping away from curious cats and gathering red berries show the influence of her work in textile design. Each scene illustrates a single word ("snuggle," "feast," "hatch"), making it good practice for young readers. The rich, flat colors and stylized pictures, which hint of Marimekko and William Morris, are certain to please aesthetically-minded children and their adults. SAY HELLO LIKE THIS! Written and illustrated by Mary Murphy. 32 pp. Candlewick. $12.99. (Picture book; ages 2 to 5) In a companion to "A Kiss Like This," chicks, puppies, foals and other young creatures greet each other with enthusiasm, mooing and woofing and flapping and clucking as if they had just arrived at a barnyard cocktail party. Sturdy, glossy pages show the animals eyeing each other with friendly interest; flipping vertical flaps reveals the beasts in the midst of their raucous hellos. Murphy's rich pastel washes and thick, painterly black outlines give "Say Hello Like This!" a prettiness that's matched by an exuberant typeface new readers should enjoy deciphering. The book may make you think of the nicest possible greeting card, which in a way, it is. A BOOK OF BABIES Written and illustrated by II Sung Na. 24 pp. Knopf. $15.99. (Picture book; ages 2 to 5) If the Seoul-born artist Il Sung Na hasn't already charmed you with "Hide & Seek" and "A Book of Sleep," his latest book, with scenes of animal families in their native ponds, African savannas and Arctic ice floes, will probably do the trick. Wide-eyed parents gaze lovingly at their feathered, furry and scaly babies in what may be a slightly sweetened version of, say, reptile life. But reality has its say when a herd of candy-colored sea horses emerge from their astonished daddy's pouch. CUCKOO! Written and illustrated by Fiona Roberton. 40 pp. Putnam. $16.99. (Picture book; ages 2 to 5) Hatched among birds of a different feather, Cuckoo bravely goes "in search of someone who could understand him." The plot is a mite familiar - in children's books, it's not unusual to be born, as Andrew Solomon puts it, "far from the tree." Roberton's illustrations, though, are totally her own. Drawn with pencil-sharp precision, Cuckoo is an irresistibly cute, roundbodied little bird with a jauntily striped belly and a resilient attitude. What family wouldn't want him in their nest? ONLINE A slide show of this week's illustrated books at nytimes.com/books.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [February 23, 2014]
Review by Booklist Review
This unusual early concept book introduces toddlers to the way playful animals say hello to one another. Illustrations featuring pets, farmyard animals, and a few other critters drawn in bold black lines occupy simple backgrounds. Each spread offers just enough detail to pique interest due to some clever bookmaking; when youngsters flip a flap, they will observe that the scene has changed considerably. In one, wide-eyed kitties look at one another while text explains a cat hello is prissy and proud . . . / like this! purrrrrr . . . meow. Then the cats touch paws, their eyes closed in contentment. Not only will preschoolers notice changes in the felines' positions and expressions, they will also spot a pair of mice greeting each other. When chickens say hello like this! cluck cluck cluck cluck cluck cluck, chicks hatch at their feet and say cheep cheep. The repetitive phrasing acts as a prompt, encouraging youngsters to chime in. This builds, ultimately, to a direct invitation to young readers to say hello. They will with gusto!--McDermott, Jeanne Copyright 2014 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this cheery companion to 2012's A Kiss Like This, Murphy explores the sounds that six animals make (with a few extra cows and geese thrown in on the title page, complete with their own moos and honks). As in the previous book, a playful format featuring half-pages inserted into each spread suggests a guessing game. Murphy describes an animal's style of greeting on the left-hand page ("A cat hello is prissy and proud..."), after which readers turn the half page to reveal a slightly different scene featuring the animals as they greet each other, along with the remainder of the text ( "like this! purrrrrr... meow"). From "flappy and clucky" chicken salutations to the "tiny and tappy" introductions beetles make, fun-to-say words dance across the ample white background space. The sweetly silly cast of boldly outlined, wide-eyed animals-including a pair of exuberant leaping frogs and two toothy donkeys wearing goofy floral hats-comes together for a colorful, cacophonous splash at the book's end as they encourage readers to chime in with a big "Hello!" of their own. Ages 2-5. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-K-In this cheerful concept book, Murphy uses a mix of fun adjectives and noises to introduce children to animal sounds. "A dog hello is licky and loud...like this! bow-wow-wow-wow! A cat hello is prissy and proud...like this! purrrrrr...meow." Other animals include donkeys, chickens, frogs, and tiny beetles. Reminiscent of Lucy Cousins's style, the vibrant ink and watercolor illustrations with bold black outlines are eye-catching. Combined with spare, large-print text on ample white backgrounds and a lift-the-flap page layout, they pack undeniable child appeal. A sweet alternative to Maria Torres Cimarusti's Peek-a-Moo! (Dutton, 1998), this picture book would be a fun addition to noisy storytimes.-Yelena Alekseyeva-Popova, formerly at Chappaqua Library, NY (c) Copyright 2013. 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 Horn Book Review
Each spread describes an animal's greeting ("A dog hello is licky and loud...") while half-page flaps reveal the sounds of their greeting: "like this! Bow-wow-wow-wow!" It all ends in an exuberant hullabaloo capped off with a hello "from you." Clean, digitally colored ink and watercolor illustrations make way for the simple concept, and the text's repetition encourages rousing participation from a read-along audience. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Toddlers and their adults nationwide will welcome with open arms this clever coupling of animal sounds and lift-the-flap elements. In this book for children newly aware of the delights of saying, "Hello," Murphy introduces a variety of familiar animals and describes their individual forms of greeting. "A dog hello is licky and loud / like this! bow-wow-wow-wow!" Lift the flap, and two affable canines leap and prance, tongues every which way, their barks sprawling across the page. Most of the birds and beasts here are the usual animal-sound-book suspects (cats, frogs, chickens, etc.), though a pair of tip-tapping beetles makes for an unexpected and pleasing change of pace. Murphy's thick, black outlines and bright (but never garish) colors will do well with large groups, and the half-page flaps that turn to reveal the various animal sounds will guarantee that this becomes a crowd pleaser. While few would argue that there is a dearth of quality animal-sound books out there, fewer still would fail to be charmed by Murphy's smartly targeted book for the ankle-biter set. A hoot (pun intended). (Picture book. 1-4)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
