Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too？ Board Book

Amazonのエディトリアルレビューより

Amazon.co.jp

   「もちろんよ！ カンガルーにもおかあさんがいるわ。ママとあなたみたいにね」絵本作家／イラストレーターとしてあまりにも有名なエリック・カールについては、何の説明も不要だ。読者は、カールの新作を心待ちにしているはず。もちろん、本書もその期待を裏切ることはない。ストーリーはとてもシンプル。まず、おかあさんに何度も同じことをたずねる子どものせりふ。「ライオンにもおかあさんがいるの？」ライオンの次はサル、次はイルカと動物はかわっても、たずねることはみな同じ。そして、おかあさんの答えもずっと変わらない。カラフルな大きい文字で書かれた答えは「もちろんよ！」。続く「ママとあなたみたいに」どんなどうぶつにもおかあさんはいるわ、という言葉に、子どもたちはさぞかしほっとするにちがいない。本書では、繰り返しが一つの言葉遊びになっている。なぜならば、同じ言葉の繰り返しは、実に気持ちが落ち着くものだからだ。

   この親子の受け答えの妙は、実際に読んでみるとよくわかる。本書は声を出して読むことを目的にしているからだ。動物のあかちゃんと親、その動物の群れの呼び方が、本書には出てくる。クマの一団を「sloth」、キツネの一団を「skulk」と呼ぶことを知っているのは、大人でもそう多くはないだろう。もちろん、カール作品のトレードマークであるコラージュの色鮮やかさやきらびやかさは、著者の愛すべき定番絵本（『The Very Hungry Caterpillar』（邦題『はらぺこあおむし』）や『The Very Quiet Cricket』（邦題『だんまりこおろぎ――無視の音が聞こえる本』）のそれとまったく変わらない。すばらしいイラストは、額に入れても最高。（2～7才児向け）（Emilie Coulter, Amazon.com）

Product Description

Do animals have mothers, too? Of course they do - just like me and you!

Meet the little joey, whose kangaroo mother carries him in her pouch. See the cygnet riding on the back of the mother swan. Eric Carle′s colourful collages of animal babies with their caring and affectionate mothers offer small readers visual delight as well as comforting reassurance.

The playful question-and-answer text invites children and adults to read aloud together. Repetition of key phrases helps preschoolers take the first step toward reading readiness. And the game-like format makes it easy and fun to discover more about the world of nature and to learn the common names of some familiar - and some not so familiar - animals. A bonus page at the back of the book lists the correct but sometimes surprising names of animal babies, their parents, and groups.

Eric Carle is the creator of many beloved picture books for very small children. Here he offers a beautiful way for parents and children to share the knowledge that love crosses all boundaries and ties all creatures on this earth together.

Ages 2-4

Amazon.com Review

"Yes! A kangaroo has a mother. Just like me and you." Tremendously popular author/illustrator Eric Carle needs no introduction. Readers wait eagerly for every new picture book--and nobody will be disappointed with this one. In this Very Simple story, an unseen child asks variations on the same question: "Does a lion/monkey/dolphin have a mother, too?" The response is always the same: a big colorful "YES!" with the soothing reassurance that, "like me and you," everyone has a mother. Repetition is the name of the game, here, because nothing comforts like reiteration.

Those on the verge of reading will enjoy the question and answer format, which is clearly designed to be read aloud. A list of the names of animal babies, parents, and groups is included--did you know that a group of bears is called a "sloth"? Or that a group of foxes is a "skulk"? Carle's trademark collages are as colorful and luminous as those found in any of his other well-loved modern classics (including The Very Hungry Caterpillar and The Very Quiet Cricket); as usual, the illustrations are so good they're worthy of framing. (Ages 2 to 7) --Emilie Coulter