Puppies and Piggies

February 18, 2008
A farmyard's worth of animals smile their way through this rhyming poem cum bedtime book about what makes each one of them happy. Rylant (Baby Face
, reviewed above) starts off with brisk, chirpy lines: “Kitty loves a garden/ Kitty loves a rose./ Kitty loves to walk up high/ On her kitty toes.” Working in watercolors and wax crayons, in panels and vignettes, Bates (Farmer Dale's Red Pickup Truck
) animates the verse with an unapologetically anthropomorphized cast of creatures: his Bunny lounges against a gardener's workbasket as it snacks on lettuce leaves; his Mousey clasps pretty leaves in its paws as it gazes, enthralled, at a ladybug overhead. It's almost as if a particularly cute stuffed-animal collection had been the models. The tempo slows down a little as the woman seen gardening earlier reappears, now indoors and holding a smiling baby: “Baby loves his mama, who will/ Kiss his sleepy head.” By the last page, the baby sleeps ensconced in his crib, with all the beaming animals arrayed in the window and along the sill: Chickie on Piggy's head, Mousey next to Kitty and so forth. A good choice for those who like their bedtime books served sunny-side-up. Ages 3-5.

April 1, 2008
PreS-"Puppy loves the farmyard, /Puppy loves the rain," but it has just stopped falling, and all the animals on the farm have begun to enjoy the day, too. "Pony loves to stretch her legs/In the summer sun." An Easter-egg palette of pastels on a pale yellow background effectively renders the creatures more like nursery toys than farm animals. On the final spread, they peer through Baby's bedroom window as he sleeps, almost as if they have taken on the role of their stuffed equivalents. Unfortunately, the theme of discovering joy in life's small pleasures is undermined by forced rhymes and an overall syrupy tone, exacerbated by the persistent use of diminutive titles (e.g., "Piggy," "Mousey," etc.). And while phrases such as "Happy little lovey-doveys" may adequately soothe young children, eye-rolling is a possible side effect for adults who are sharing the book."Madeline Walton-Hadlock, San Jose Public Library, CA"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2008
A familiar theme of reassuring love is related in rhyming couplets for toddlers. Puppy loves the barnyard, / Puppy loves the rain. / Puppy loves to press his nose/ Against the windowpane. A series of seven more farm animals describes what each one loves, includingKitty, who enjoysher garden; Piggy, his mud pen; Chicky, her nest.Finally, there isBaby, who loves his blanket, / Baby loves his bed. / Baby loves his mama, who will / Kiss his sleepy head. The soft, gentle tone is reiterated in the crayon-and-watercolor illustrations that depict cuddly animals and playful scenes. The final page shows all the animals looking in the window where the baby is asleep in a crib.Little oneswill respond to the rhymes and pictures by talking about their ownfavorite things.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)