Busy feet

Bold imagery and sprightly three-beat couplets combine for a footloose and fancy-free tribute to all the ways that feet can move. From morning till night, two sets of legs--one pair portrayed with brown skin, the other pale and freckled--go-go-go, encountering sand, scooters, slides, swings, and much more as concept-driven rhymes explore various opposites: "IN the sand,/ OUT toes peek./ Playful feet/ hide and seek." Employing a limited visual perspective that frequently focuses on feet over entire figures, Chapman's artwork pops off the page with circus hues. As "Feet swing LOW,/ feet swing HIGH./ Little feet/ touch the sky," the kids appear to laugh while hanging off an electric-hued tire swing. Later, kids with varied abilities and skin tones move in a crowd and amid multicolored balls. When at last tired legs slip into bed, stars fill the room, emblematic of the magic that's been a day of "busy feet." Ages 3--7. (Feb.)

A day in the life of several active kids as told through their tireless feet. Little ones are shown climbing and sliding on the playground, visiting the beach, and scrubbing up in the tub, all through images that focus on their active, busy legs, feet, and toes. Berneger's rhyming text makes for a fun, buoyant read-aloud. There is a reference to a classic nursery rhyme with the phrase "Dizzy feet all fall down!" along with repetitive opposites like in and out and hot and cold, making it a perfect fit for toddler and preschool readers. Chapman's illustrations capture joyful, childlike movement. One particularly beautiful spread shows two children on a tire swing, gleefully midtwirl. There are bright, eye-catching colors on every page, from bold reds and oranges to pinks and vibrant blues. Polka dots, plaid, and stripes appear on clothing and in the background, adding to the story's sense of movement. There are two children who anchor the images, one with dark brown skin, the other pale and freckled. The story celebrates movement of all kinds, including through an illustration of a child using a wheelchair who is shown zipping along, ball in lap. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A bouncy, exuberant read as playful as its target audience. (Picture book. 2-4) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.