Thursday, March 9, 2023

Busy Feet by Marcia Berneger, illustrated by Susanna Chapman

Edited to add: It's a picture book! A slightly smaller format than the typical picture book, but not a board book. I'm very excited that our copy came in!


Starry Forest is a new-to-me independent publisher. A quick overview of their list made me think of the lists from Usborne or Beaming Books, with a variety of illustrated classics, inclusive titles, Christian holidays, and activity books. They do include some bilingual (Spanish) materials and their titles are available via Baker and Taylor.

The book I am reviewing today is the first in a series called "Busy Baby" and is a bright, busy collection of art and movement. The simple rhyming couplets follow a variety of children's feet through movement, activity, and daily tasks. "Feet walk STRAIGHT/then spin 'ROUND./Dizzy feet/all fall down!" The main feet pictured are white with an explosion of freckles and several feet with dark brown skin. There are also some lighter brown-skinned feet and a child in a wheelchair. The freckled feet and one set of dark brown belong together, as they are shown sharing a bath, bedroom, and other activities.

Bright backgrounds of pink, orange, green, and blue are covered with dancing, running, wiggling feet. The pages are crowded with birds, stars, swatches of color, toys, and random shapes. It makes for a busier book than I'd recommend for very young children. I only saw an egalley of the title, but it is described as a picture book in the publicity materials and as a picture book/board book in Baker and Taylor's listing, so I'm not clear if the binding is a regular hardcover picture book or a board book.

Verdict: While not recommended for infants due to the busyness of the art, this would be a nice addition to collections for toddlers and young preschoolers, especially if tied to an outdoor or movement-based program and should work well in a group setting. I'm always looking for more toddler-oriented titles and I anticipate this being a popular storytime pick. Recommended.

ISBN: 9781951784102; Published February 2023 by Starry Forest Books; Egalley provided by author; Purchased for the library

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