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CM . . .
. Volume XXI Number 9 . . . . October 31, 2014
excerpt:
Hood’s new board book story is a fun rhyming story about a baby playing with his toes. First mom kisses and counts “the ten piggies” while the baby wiggles them. The narration by the parents continues the story along: “Now who needs a song or a nap or a treat with ten tickly toes on two funny feet”. The baby doesn’t need toys to entertain himself; he prefers playing with his toes, even in the bathtub. The rubber duck, rattle, and stuffed rabbit remain untouched. Like many babies do, this baby prefers to go barefoot (“Bye-bye baby booties”). He pulls off his bear booties causing one to land on his head. The baby squeals with delight as he discovers dancing, stretching and reaching, all done with his toes as mom and dad watch over him with smiles on their faces. Barroux uses acrylic paints and pencil to create simple cartoon-style characters (mom, dad, and baby) who have a skin tone that reflects many ethnicities. Like older comic book art, some of the soft colours bleed over the black outlines. This gives the illustrations a more traditional feel. Swirls of blue-grey paint were used for backgrounds and shadows. I would recommend Tickly Toes because of its clever use of words (fun-all-day, r-e-a-c-h, rub-a-dub bath, bat-around rings) and its cheerful characters. Recommended. Tanya Boudreau is a librarian at the Cold Lake Public Library in Cold Lake, AB.
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