As is obvious from the list of baby & toddler books that I have recommended on this web site, it takes a great deal for a board book to leave enough of an impression on me that I would include it on that list. They are, by their very nature, often bereft of any real story at all, and it is a rare exception to the rule that includes vocabulary or art that is worth overlooking that lack of narrative.
Over Under not only left an impression on me, it actually went so far as to prove me wrong in thinking that narrative flow was something one could not reasonably expect from an infant board book. Despite being limited to a word or three per page, Marthe Jocelyn somehow manages to make the text flow, both in a rhythmic sense and in that it feels like a story is being told, if only in the sparest, bare bones sort of way.
First published as a regular, full-sized picture book, the back of Over Under describes it as: ?A first opposites book, a first art book.? This is not an exaggeration, and my feeling is that Tom Slaughter?s stark, brightly-coloured pictures serve the book even better in its new board book format than they did in the previous edition, simply because they are clear, simple, and colourful enough to catch and keep the interest of even an infant who picks up this little cardboard gem to chew on or flip through by him- or herself.
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(4 of 7 readers found this comment helpful)
At first glance, Mem Fox?s "Where is the Green Sheep?" seems deceptively simple, little different from every other baby book about that storybook farmyard staple, the woolly sheep. The pictures are bright and cheery, the sentences spare and straightforward, as one would expect in a book for toddlers.
But there is also something enchantingly irreverent about the text here. It is in the references to ?bath sheep? and ?bed sheep,? for example--both ideas common to baby books, but presented here in a slightly offbeat context.
"Where is the Green Sheep?" is a lovely, fun book, simple enough for the youngest children but a little different from the usual farmyard fare--as much for your sake as for the child?s.
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(4 of 7 readers found this comment helpful)
Here is another story about royalty that will stand out like a shining, laugh-inducing beacon from the standard cutesy princess and brave knight stories of which most adults have grown tired.
Any child will relate to the difficulties of Queen Daisy, whose feet just won?t seem to stay still or do what they are supposed to. Queen Daisy?s feet don?t want to wear proper, elegant shoes or step daintily about the dance floor at royal balls. Instead, they want to wear cozy slippers, or the sort of boots that are particularly good for stomping in mud puddles; they want to dance wildly and occasionally give a bit of a kick to someone who is particularly mean.
Luckily, Queen Daisy?s problem is resolved without too much difficulty, and in a manner that both parents and children can appreciate, which recognizes that there are times when one must behave properly even when it?s no fun at all, but that it is equally important to make time to kick off one?s shoes (pardon the pun) and let off a little steam.
Du?an Petričić?s drawings are eloquent in their own right, and the ideal complement to this story, showing only the queen?s legs and feet in their various predicaments for most of the story, only revealing her whole self at the end, showing her integration as a whole person just as the story wraps up in similar fashion.
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(3 of 6 readers found this comment helpful)
As any parent?or, frankly, anyone who has ever been around siblings at all?knows, sibling rivalry is one of those things you can always count on. And sibling rivalry is equally reliable as a story theme; there are few things that kids love to hear about more than the familiar screeches and squawks of brothers and sisters squabbling. Even only children can relate to the constant squabbles that are equally common among young friends.
Rotten and Rascal is a fabulous tale of sibling rivalry?spot-on accurate in its depiction of a pair of brothers who squabble over anything and everything. It is funny, a bit pointed, but not overly didactic in the way it delivers a neat lesson about the consequences of this sort of thoughtless rivalry. This is a great book for impatient little ones, who are very likely to recognize themselves in the antics of the young dinosaurs.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(3 of 6 readers found this comment helpful)
As any parent?or, frankly, anyone who has ever been around siblings at all?knows, sibling rivalry is one of those things you can always count on. And sibling rivalry is equally reliable as a story theme; there are few things that kids love to hear about more than the familiar screeches and squawks of brothers and sisters squabbling. Even only children can relate to the constant squabbles that are equally common among young friends.
Rotten and Rascal is a fabulous tale of sibling rivalry?spot-on accurate in its depiction of a pair of brothers who squabble over anything and everything. It is funny, a bit pointed, but not overly didactic in the way it delivers a neat lesson about the consequences of this sort of thoughtless rivalry. This is a great book for impatient little ones, who are very likely to recognize themselves in the antics of the young dinosaurs.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(3 of 5 readers found this comment helpful)
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Customer Comments
Jennifer Starkman has commented on (95) products.
Over Under by Marthe Jocelyn
Jennifer Starkman, July 7, 2007
As is obvious from the list of baby & toddler books that I have recommended on this web site, it takes a great deal for a board book to leave enough of an impression on me that I would include it on that list. They are, by their very nature, often bereft of any real story at all, and it is a rare exception to the rule that includes vocabulary or art that is worth overlooking that lack of narrative.Over Under not only left an impression on me, it actually went so far as to prove me wrong in thinking that narrative flow was something one could not reasonably expect from an infant board book. Despite being limited to a word or three per page, Marthe Jocelyn somehow manages to make the text flow, both in a rhythmic sense and in that it feels like a story is being told, if only in the sparest, bare bones sort of way.
First published as a regular, full-sized picture book, the back of Over Under describes it as: ?A first opposites book, a first art book.? This is not an exaggeration, and my feeling is that Tom Slaughter?s stark, brightly-coloured pictures serve the book even better in its new board book format than they did in the previous edition, simply because they are clear, simple, and colourful enough to catch and keep the interest of even an infant who picks up this little cardboard gem to chew on or flip through by him- or herself.
(4 of 7 readers found this comment helpful)
Where Is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox
Jennifer Starkman, July 7, 2007
At first glance, Mem Fox?s "Where is the Green Sheep?" seems deceptively simple, little different from every other baby book about that storybook farmyard staple, the woolly sheep. The pictures are bright and cheery, the sentences spare and straightforward, as one would expect in a book for toddlers.But there is also something enchantingly irreverent about the text here. It is in the references to ?bath sheep? and ?bed sheep,? for example--both ideas common to baby books, but presented here in a slightly offbeat context.
"Where is the Green Sheep?" is a lovely, fun book, simple enough for the youngest children but a little different from the usual farmyard fare--as much for your sake as for the child?s.
(4 of 7 readers found this comment helpful)
The Queen's Feet (Northern Lights Books for Children) by Sarah Ellis
Jennifer Starkman, July 7, 2007
Here is another story about royalty that will stand out like a shining, laugh-inducing beacon from the standard cutesy princess and brave knight stories of which most adults have grown tired.Any child will relate to the difficulties of Queen Daisy, whose feet just won?t seem to stay still or do what they are supposed to. Queen Daisy?s feet don?t want to wear proper, elegant shoes or step daintily about the dance floor at royal balls. Instead, they want to wear cozy slippers, or the sort of boots that are particularly good for stomping in mud puddles; they want to dance wildly and occasionally give a bit of a kick to someone who is particularly mean.
Luckily, Queen Daisy?s problem is resolved without too much difficulty, and in a manner that both parents and children can appreciate, which recognizes that there are times when one must behave properly even when it?s no fun at all, but that it is equally important to make time to kick off one?s shoes (pardon the pun) and let off a little steam.
Du?an Petričić?s drawings are eloquent in their own right, and the ideal complement to this story, showing only the queen?s legs and feet in their various predicaments for most of the story, only revealing her whole self at the end, showing her integration as a whole person just as the story wraps up in similar fashion.
(3 of 6 readers found this comment helpful)
Rotten and Rascal: The Two Terrible Pterosaur Twins
Jennifer Starkman, July 7, 2007
As any parent?or, frankly, anyone who has ever been around siblings at all?knows, sibling rivalry is one of those things you can always count on. And sibling rivalry is equally reliable as a story theme; there are few things that kids love to hear about more than the familiar screeches and squawks of brothers and sisters squabbling. Even only children can relate to the constant squabbles that are equally common among young friends.Rotten and Rascal is a fabulous tale of sibling rivalry?spot-on accurate in its depiction of a pair of brothers who squabble over anything and everything. It is funny, a bit pointed, but not overly didactic in the way it delivers a neat lesson about the consequences of this sort of thoughtless rivalry. This is a great book for impatient little ones, who are very likely to recognize themselves in the antics of the young dinosaurs.
(3 of 6 readers found this comment helpful)
Rotten and Rascal (UK Edition) by Paul Geraghty
Jennifer Starkman, July 7, 2007
As any parent?or, frankly, anyone who has ever been around siblings at all?knows, sibling rivalry is one of those things you can always count on. And sibling rivalry is equally reliable as a story theme; there are few things that kids love to hear about more than the familiar screeches and squawks of brothers and sisters squabbling. Even only children can relate to the constant squabbles that are equally common among young friends.Rotten and Rascal is a fabulous tale of sibling rivalry?spot-on accurate in its depiction of a pair of brothers who squabble over anything and everything. It is funny, a bit pointed, but not overly didactic in the way it delivers a neat lesson about the consequences of this sort of thoughtless rivalry. This is a great book for impatient little ones, who are very likely to recognize themselves in the antics of the young dinosaurs.
(3 of 5 readers found this comment helpful)
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