Review by New York Times Review
Employing a graphic style and mixed-media approach that's a real departure from the "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" enterprise, which she illustrated, and previous books like "Tumble Bumble," Bond works with white space and dabs of collage to create portraits of animals locked in embrace. Rabbits are calmly intimate; a pride of lions, joyous; and bats serenely hug each other upside down. Minimalist text describes upstairs and downstairs hugs, inside and outside hugs until a "Brown Bear"-like finale displays the whole menagerie embracing at once. THE BIGGEST KISS By Joanna Walsh. Illustrated by Judi Abbot. 32 pp. Paula Wiseman/Simon & Schuster. $12.99. (Picture book; ages 2 to 5) "Kisses on noses, kisses on toes-es. Sudden kisses when you least supposes" begins this delicious paean to parental affection. Walsh's genial rhymes and hypercute drawings by Abbot, a first-time illustrator, make this square-shaped picture book, first published in Britain, stand out from the Valentine pack. Spots of humor amid the syrup also help: "Some kisses are misses, they land on the ear or near" accompanies a frowning monkey speckled with lipstick marks. Some kisses, let's face it, are too sweet. PLANT A KISS By Amy Krause Rosenthal. Illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds. 40 pp. Harper/HarperCollins Publishers. $14.99. (Picture book; ages 2 to 5) This very girly tale about a "Little Miss" who plants a kiss pairs the best-selling author Rosenthal ("Little Pea," "Duck! Rabbit!") and the award-winning illustrator Reynolds ("Ish," the Judy Moody series) for the first time, with great success. Splashes of sparkle adorn the pages as the seedling kiss causes "doubt" and a "pout" before it sprouts and spreads in a cheery wash of yellow and pink. Rosenthal's and Reynolds's straightforward and gently humorous sensibilities are well matched in this story about love beyond the boundaries of parent and child. And what child doesn't like a page sprinkled in gutter? ALL KINDS OF KISSES Written and illustrated by Nancy Tafuri. 32 pp. Little, Brown & Company. $16.99. (Picture book; ages 2 to 5) Tafuri ("Goodnight My Duckling," "I Love You, Little One"), queen mother of warmly soothing animal bedtime stories, uses notably bright and vibrant watercolors to introduce very young readers to animal baby names and noises. Goat and puppy eyes are soft and dewy with love as mothers, children and siblings exchange displays of affection. "Have You Seen My Duckling?" fans will welcome a return visit from the little ones with their "peep kisses." LITTLE TREASURES Endearments From Around the World. By Jacqueline K. Ogburn. Illustrated by Chris Raschka. 32 pp. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. $16.99. (Picture book; ages 4 to 8) A book to make any Montessori or multicultural parent happy! This fascinating introduction to global endearments shows children how American parents call their offspring "Pumpkin" and "Doodlebug," while the English prefer "Poppet" and "Ducky." No judgment here (though American children may scoff at the French "Little Cabbage" and "Flea"), just marvelous illustrations by the Caldecott winner Raschka and an inclusive look at expressions of love from Poland to Uganda. Little "Light of My Hearts" (Arabic) and "Little Fatties" (Chile) will relish the experience. PAMELA PAUL ONLINE A slide show of this week's illustrated books at nytimes.com/books.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [February 5, 2012]
Review by Booklist Review
Pucker up for an orderly (but still delightful) display of the many types of kisses one might find in a barnyard. Each double-page spread is filled with a pleasingly plump parent representing a variety of species bestowing his or her own special brand of loving smacker upon the offspring. The text begins, Little ones love kisses, before moving on to specifics: Little Chick loves Cluck kisses. Little Calf loves Mooo kisses. Little Kid loves Maaa kisses. The closing scene features a human mother embracing and kissing her young child. Tafuri's artwork radiates gentleness: her choice of soft colors, the placement of the animals against the pastoral background, their comfortable body language, and in the lovingly given and received kisses themselves. Kids will be hard pressed not to join in. For other kiss-fests, see Ann Whitford Paul's If Animals Kissed Goodnight (2008) and Joanne Ryder's Won't You Be My Kissaroo? (2004).--Enos, Randall Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
On and around the farm, every baby animal savors a special kind of kiss, in accordance with its signature sound. "Little Chick loves Cluck kisses," writes Tafuri. "Little Calf loves Mooo kisses." Even Little Bunny gets a distinctive quiet "Shhh" kiss. Exercising her prerogative as a human author (and harkening back to the format of her I Love You, Little One), Tafuri wraps up by declaring that the best kiss of all is "Mommy's kiss good night," although quibblers may note that our species apparently does not have a unique kissing sound. Tafuri's generously scaled, splendidly hued watercolors immerse readers in an idyllic world of mutually adoring parents and offspring. Her animal renderings feel slightly less consistent than usual: she has few peers when it comes to depicting feathered animals, but her sheep seem more tiled than woolly. The full-bleed spreads hold an added bonus for attentive readers: they can follow a daddy bluebird as he hunts for food before settling down in the penultimate pages for a twilight snuggle with his own downy darling. Ages 3-6. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Using her distinctively recognizable artwork rendered in watercolor and colored pencil, Tafuri has created another loving book for toddlers. While it is difficult to know whether or not farm animals actually give kisses, readers will relate to the protectiveness and tenderness that adult doves, cows, and other animals show their young with "coo" and "moo" kisses. The illustrations and the font size are large, making the book ideal for storytimes. Detailed illustrations such as furry lines on Little Bunny and Mother, as well as vibrant black-and-white feathers on Mother Hen, stand out on the pages. Mother Bluebird and other creatures portrayed on previous pages appear in the background as the tale progresses. In that way, children who are looking at the art in subsequent readings can pore over the pictures, looking for intriguing designs that they may have missed during the initial reading. Another winner.-Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA (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 Horn Book Review
The book opens with a panoramic view of a farm. It's early morning; the sun is peeking over the horizon and, while most of the animals are asleep, Rooster's poised atop the henhouse, ready to rouse the creatures and start the day. The bluebirds in their nest are the first to wake, then a hen and her chick, and so on, all shown in bucolic close-up illustrations. Accompanying text describes the type of kisses each baby animal loves -- "Little Calf loves Mooo kisses...Little Kid loves Maaa kisses" -- and the story works well as an animal sounds concept book. Closer observation of Tafuri's beautifully textured watercolors rewards viewers with additional narrative. As the day goes on, Farmer's in the background doing his chores: gathering hay, picking apples, then offering one to the sheep. Bluebird, too, is busy, flying through every scene, catching insects (well camouflaged in the pictures) and delivering them to Baby Bird while the sun moves across the sky. The dogs frolic, the cats cuddle, the hens gather: for all its tranquility, the farm is bustling. Skillful shifts in visual perspective provide a three-hundred-sixty-degree vista, challenging viewers to situate the goings-on. The last image brings us inside the farmhouse, as a (human) mother gives her little one a kiss goodnight. Like the best busy day, time has flown, leaving everyone satisfied, comforted, and ready for bed. elissa gershowitz From HORN BOOK, Copyright The Horn Book, used with permission.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Have You Seen My Duckling?, 1985), proves the barnyard a fertile setting in her latest offering. As readers follow mama bird flying around the farm, various animals show affection for their families. In her classic oversized style, the author/illustrator uses watercolors to warmly portray creatures that fascinate young children. The simple text begins, "Little ones love kisses." But "Little Chick loves Cheep kisses" and "Little Dove loves Cooo kisses." The familiar barnyard animals included are painted close up, as if to appear life size. And although their common accompanying sounds are reflected in the text, readers will notice softly drawn words for the sounds emanating from the creatures' mouths. Even an animal that is known for being silent is added: "Little Bunny loves quiet--Sniff--kisses!" The cozy story concludes with what most already know, "the best kiss of all / is Mommy's kiss good night." Little ones will appreciate the large format and respond to the predictable repetition of the text. Slightly older children can interact further with the book by trying to find the blue bird on each full-bleed spread. Many bedtime books featuring animal sounds exist, but few are executed with such skill; this one has the potential to become a classic. (Picture book. 1-4)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
