Day: February 5, 2010

Passing By

| Tasha

Passing By by Yona Tepper, illustrated by Gil-Ly Alon Curiel

Yael likes to watch the street outside her house from her balcony.  She can see dogs walk by, a cat hiding in the flowerbed, a car driving past and honking its horn, a man riding a bike, a tractor with a trailer filled with brush, and a bird.  Best of all, she sees her father coming! 

The book has a nice rhythm and repetition both before each thing on the street appears and after it leaves Yael’s sight.  Tepper’s prose has a quiet feel that really allows readers to feel a sense of ease and leisure that is inherent in the book.  The art depicts life in Israel which is both similar to a street in America and yet has quite a different feel.  Curiel’s art is simple and very child-friendly.  The book has a nice mix of close-up images and panoramas of the area of Yael’s home. 

Ideal for toddlers who will enjoy the repetition of the book and identifying the sounds and animals.  Appropriate for ages 2-5.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

Bunny Days

| Tasha

Bunny Days by Tao Nyeu

The author of the marvelous Wonder Bear returns with a picture book that once again features the big white Bear.  This book however takes a different approach than the loosely plotted first book. 

The book is in three chapters, each featuring an scrape the bunnies get into which is resolved by Bear.  In the first story, Mr. Goat is driving past the bunnies on his tractor and splashes them all with mud.  They head to Bear for help and he fixes everything by putting them all in the washing machine.  On delicate cycle of course.  Then they are hung to dry.  In the second story, Mrs. Goat is vacuuming and accidentally sucks the bunnies right out of their burrow.  Mrs. Goat takes her broken vacuum to Bear who discovers the bunnies inside.  He blows the dust off of the bunnies and repairs the vacuum too.  The final story has the bunnies playing hide-and-seek in a white flowered hedge while Mr. Goat is pruning it.  He accidentally cuts the tails off of the bunnies.  But no worries, Bear once again rescues the situation by carefully sewing the tails back on.

These stories are entirely silly and whimsical.  The solutions are sure to generate giggles as children will immediately realize how nonsensical they are.  Nyeu’s art has a strength and simplicity that adds to the appeal here.  His use of thick lines and a limited color palette work very well, especially the use of one dominant color for each story.

Ideal for toddlers, this book will have plenty of appeal with its fresh-feeling art and simple story lines.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.