Why would I be reviewing this title? I'll let you figure that one out...
THREE PROS
*If you're looking for a relaxing read with a ton of content and large print, this will do the trick
*The detail in Helen Oxenbury's imagery is exquisite, providing further proof that she is one of the better illustrators in the world right now
*Since my son is definitely in a Spider-Man phase (which could last anywhere from a week to a century), I thought it was cute how John Burningham perfectly captured the thought process of a toddler by having him suggest not only a superhero moniker as a name but Peter (the webslinger's alter ego) as well
*Since my son is definitely in a Spider-Man phase (which could last anywhere from a week to a century), I thought it was cute how John Burningham perfectly captured the thought process of a toddler by having him suggest not only a superhero moniker as a name but Peter (the webslinger's alter ego) as well
THREE CONS
*If you're going to write a book on this subject, you have to assume parents are expecting you to give them something that will ease the burden of the coming transition -- tiptoeing around the topic accomplishes very little
*It might seem like I am harping on a minor thing, but how hard would it have been to assign different colors to mom and son's thoughts instead of using two shades of blue
*It might seem like I am harping on a minor thing, but how hard would it have been to assign different colors to mom and son's thoughts instead of using two shades of blue
*I have to assume that I'm in the majority when it comes to avoiding unnecessary anatomically-correct illustrations
ONE DAD'S OPINION
I cannot stress enough the value of catering to your audience when crafting a niche item such as this. Would you consider a potty training story a success if it had a lot of bathroom pictures but didn't directly attack the problem? What about if you bought a basic math concept primer that had numbers on every page but forgot to teach how to manipulate them? In either case, you would walk away unsatisfied, regardless of the aesthetic positives it might possess. For this reason alone, I can't in good conscience give TGTBAB anything other than a Donate.
Buy / Borrow / DONATE / Destroy
ONE DAD'S OPINION
I cannot stress enough the value of catering to your audience when crafting a niche item such as this. Would you consider a potty training story a success if it had a lot of bathroom pictures but didn't directly attack the problem? What about if you bought a basic math concept primer that had numbers on every page but forgot to teach how to manipulate them? In either case, you would walk away unsatisfied, regardless of the aesthetic positives it might possess. For this reason alone, I can't in good conscience give TGTBAB anything other than a Donate.
Buy / Borrow / DONATE / Destroy
2 comments:
I feel so relieved. If you had given this book a BUY rating I might have had to have another baby just so I could justify the purchase. Phew! Dodge a bullet there.
Big time!
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