Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsAimed at parents, not kids
Reviewed in Canada on October 16, 2021
I'm not doubting that the author of this book knows their stuff on the early literacy end of things. The vocab is there, varied sentence structure, past/present/future, cause and effect etc.. But the illustrations and the stories are very dry. The illustrations (and the minimalist design) seem to be a nod to a bygone era of kids books (notably, beatrix potter) tapping into parents' nostalgia and eye for 'authentic' / tasteful design. Problem is the stories are incredibly bland, and the images are washed out and uninteresting, with very little character whatsoever. Its the kind of book that makes you look and feel like a smart parent due to the pedigree of the author, and looks great on the shelf (like wooden toys), but the kid passes by every time we pick a book to read - and frankly I don't blame them.