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
Katz, Karen
16 Reviews
(3)
PS
Lively patterns, vibrant colors, and an adorable tour guide make for a warm introduction to preschool. Rosie brings readers along as she stows her belongings in her cubby, says goodbye to Daddy, joins circle time (sitting crisscross applesauce, of course), and so forth. "Rosie Tips" sidebars offer extra tidbits: "When everybody works together, cleanup goes faster." A solid choice for easing first-day jitters.
Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger
(3)
PS
This is a charming book highlighting the differences between big kids and babies, and all the things that older kids can now do that they couldn't do before: drinking from a cup, reading a book, helping a new sibling, and more. Colorful watercolor and gouache illustrations of happy babies and toddlers will bring a smile to little listeners'(and adult readers') faces.
Reviewer: Aimee Chevrette Bear
(3)
PS
Katz brings her signature style to a favorite song, depicting a gaggle of diverse babies on a bus-bound adventure. Though the bus driver appears only marginally older than the passengers, everyone arrives safely at the children's museum. The vibrant colors and patterns provide an engaging backdrop to the familiar text (with a few new additions, including a brief naptime).
Reviewer: Hannah Rodgers Barnaby
(3)
PS
Princess Baby's offstage parents call out getting-ready-for-bed questions ("...did you pick up all your toys?...put your pajamas on?"), which the toddler answers in the affirmative. Katz's pattern-filled illustrations tell a different story: PB picks up her toys in a big hug; she puts pajamas on her teddy bear; and so on. Little princes and princesses will enjoy the silly joke.
Reviewer: Kitty Flynn
(3)
PS
"1 tiny baby starts to run. / Along comes another... / to have some fun." Katz's babies are back, this time for a counting adventure. Each spread adds a new active playmate until ten tiny tots are fast asleep together. The gouache, colored-pencil, and collage illustrations are bright and dynamic.
Reviewer: Hannah Rodgers Barnaby
(4)
PS
Tired of being called cutesy nicknames ("cupcake," "buttercup"), a toddler demands to be called "by my REAL name." The little girl then gives hints about what that name is--though the title gives the answer away. The minimal text is enlivened by Katz's bright, simply composed illustrations.
Reviewer: Amanda Mc. MacGregor
(3)
PS
A young Muslim boy describes the ways his family celebrates the holy month of Ramadan, explaining some of the rituals and symbols of the holiday. Straightforward, easy-to-read text and bright, friendly collage and mixed-media illustrations make this a solid, approachable resource for Muslim and non-Muslim children alike.
Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth
(4)
PS
After presenting a simple introduction to Peace Day, Katz shows eleven children from around the globe ("Meena lives in India") and their respective words for peace ("Meena says shanti [SHAHN-tee]"). As in all of Katz's blandly worded books, the selling point is her unmistakable eye-popping mixed-media art, an improbably successful mesh of flat, childlike renderings and fussy patterns.
Reviewer: Nell Beram
(4)
PS
From "one / little tickle / on a lovely, sleepy head" and onward through ten, a baby is awakened and prepared for the day as family members each discover a new place to tickle. Virtually identical to Katz's Counting Kisses--and just as cloying--the playful text, warm palette, flattened perspectives, and cheerful patterns depict a family doting on their wriggly, delighted baby.
Reviewer: CHristine Sarrazin
(4)
PS
Daddy enumerates the ten different styles of hugs that he gives his baby, from "one 'I'm so glad you're my baby!' hug" to ten "I love you" hugs at bedtime. This is not Katz's best work--the premise wears thin and the ending is abrupt--but fans will enjoy her patterned mixed-media art.
Reviewer: Nell Beram
(4)
PS
A young Chinese-American girl describes her family's celebration of the Chinese New Year, from sweeping away last year's bad luck to preparing the traditional feast and watching the parade in Chinatown. An unfortunate typographical error mars the text, but the bright collage illustrations, with their many pleasing patterns, make for an attractive introduction. A brief endnote supplies additional information.
Reviewer: Martha Sibert
(3)
PS
This cozy, alliterative book counts down from ten to one as a family of five (plus a cat and dog) prepare for Christmas. "Seven velvet stockings hang above the hearth. Six slippered feet race upstairs to bed." Katz uses collage, gouache, and colored pencil for her illustrations. Without looking cluttered, the eye-catching compositions fill the pages with bright, flat colors and patterns.
Reviewer: Martha Sibert
(3)
PS
"On the second day of Kwanzaa, I ask Mommy to braid my hair in a fancy African way. It makes me feel proud." This introduction to the holiday will please and inform preschoolers and their parents. Bold collage and mixed-media illustrations add a celebratory air to the simple text, which includes pronunciation guides. Appended is an author's note that gives a brief history of Kwanzaa.
Reviewer: Deborah L. Thompson
(4)
PS
Lena trims her elaborate hats--one for each month--with seasonal items, such as an Easter basket for April and beach paraphernalia for August. A fold-out page shows her December hat, which celebrates Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Christmas. The rhyming text is awkward, but the bright collage illustrations are a match for Lena's over-the-top hat-making style. Includes instructions for making a posterboard hat.
Reviewer: Martha Sibert
(4)
PS
Parents, sister, grandmother, and the family pets send baby to bed with a countdown of kisses: "ten little kisses on teeny tiny toes" down to "one last kiss on your sleepy, dreamy head." Katz's patterned art, with its round shapes and pastel-colored palette, is engaging, but the decorative hearts and rosy cheeks may make this too saccharine for some. Stick with Molly Bang's Ten, Nine, Eight for bedtime counting books.
Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth
(3)
K-3
After seven-year-old Lena claims that "brown is brown," her mother, an artist, walks her around their diverse neighborhood to show her that brown skin, like Lena's own, comes in many shades. That afternoon, Lena paints her neighbors' portraits using "delicious" brown hues like cinnamon, chocolate, and honey. Mixed-media illustrations of these jazzy urbanites joyfully bring the message home.
Reviewer: Nell Beram
16 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.