Thank you for visiting.
This content is exclusive to subscribers only.
As a digital subscriber, you’ll receive unlimited access to Horn Book web exclusives and extensive archives, as well as access to our highly searchable Guide/Reviews Database.
To access other site content, visit The Horn Book homepage.
Log In
Don't have a Horn Book Account?
Register Now
Register Now
Ballard, Robin
5 Reviews
(4)
PS
A preschooler describes a typical day spent with his mom and baby brother. He's a model nurturer (the illustrations show how his suggestions help resolve problems), but he admits from his mom's lap that "sometimes I like to be the baby too." Shifting verb tenses--"We could play..."; "I will sing him a song"; "I kiss him good-night"--make for jerky reading, but the warm, detail-rich illustrations are winning.
Reviewer: Nell Beram
(4)
PS
A series of gentle cartoon images depict how kids in day care and their working parents spend their days: e.g., while kids enjoy "circle time," grownups gather at a round conference table. The notion of paralleling parent-child activities is an effective approach. The only drawback is that each child looks identical to his or her featured parent, fostering a rigid idea of what a family looks like.
Reviewer: Nell Beram
(3)
K-3
A little boy takes stock of his room at bedtime and thinks about what it will look like in the morning. In each double-page spread, the left-hand, full-page illustration shows various things--his window, dresser, backpack--shaded in comforting nighttime hues. On the right, a smaller, daytime picture features the boy looking out the window in the morning, getting dressed, or playing at school. This is a simple and quiet bedtime reflection.
Reviewer: Amanda Sullivan
(3)
PS
On a nighttime car ride home from Granny's, a young girl thinks about what it will be like to get ready for bed so late. This somewhat different approach adds interest to the soothing bedtime story. The uncluttered text is accompanied by simple, appealing watercolors that show the sequence of events the girl imagines while smaller pictures depict the car's progress through the dark.
Reviewer: Patricia Riley
(3)
PS
Kate, whose stepmother is pregnant, asks her dad what life will be like when she returns next summer. Small gray paintings illustrate her fears of being pushed aside; adjacent large color paintings show Papa's reassuring answers. The pen-and-ink illustrations carry the narrative using watercolor washes and comfortingly round figures.
Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.
5 reviews
We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing.