Member Reviews

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. Great illustrations but the story was seriously lacking.

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I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book didn't really entertain me that much. The pictures were cute but it was long. While I think the pictures would get a toddler's attention, I think it's far too long to hold it.

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This had a cute illustration style with a bright pallet. I didn't love the story itself but it was fine.

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I really loved this book and how simple it is, but also how impactful it is. It's always good to teach kids that when they fall down, they can just get right back up and try again.

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This is a book about how baby animal learning step by step in life and I not really impressed as it's kinda just ok, but still worth to read

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I really liked the idea of this book, that it is okay to fall/fail when trying something new, but don't be afraid to try again. When I read this book to my granddaughter, I felt it missed the mark. As much as the illustrations were cute and showed the animals falling, they didn't really show them getting up and trying again. My granddaughter laughed and thought the animals were cute and funny. We talked about laughing when someone gets hurt, because I don't want her to become "that kid" and she was sure the animals were okay. The message was saved for the end of the book and it was still a bit murky. To get the message across, you need to talk about the book and we read it again with that in mind. A cute book for a library.

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What an adorable book for the littlest listeners and one with a lovely message to boot.  A number of sweet looking animals try to do things only to go...oops.  As this happens repeatedly, toddlers will enjoy the anticipation and will soon be shouting oops themselves.  The story ends with a lovely reminder that there will  always be friends to pick us up!


Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this charming read.  All opinions are my own.

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Thanks NetGalley and Clavis Publishing for providing me with this ARC in return for an honest review. A strange little book from European author Mack van Gageldonk, We read this through our US eyes, yet I think this book is probably better appreciated over in Europe. The book is for ages 1-3 year olds. For us the illustrations are simplistic but for little kids they probably are cute. The story simply follows different animals as they attempt tasks and eventually fail, by falling or some other physical issue. But the point is that despite failure they persevere thanks to their friends. Awfully different book.

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Get this out your local library, by all means, but don't invest in it for the home shelf, for it will have a very short period of use. We get a parade of animals all going about their business – walking somewhere, climbing something, exploring something, but then oops. They all miss the next branch, or fall down a hole, or go sailing over the waterfall, or die after hours of agony spent writhing in blood-soaked frenzy with a leg caught in a hellish, rusty bear-trap. OK, perhaps not the last one. It's a very odd premise for a book for those with very little language, for, as other reviewers have pointed out, it kind of misses out the bit where any of them get a chance to pick themselves up, dust themselves off and carry on. Yes, they all survive, but the book itself is just a gallery of mishap after mishap. The lesson then can only be "shit happens", not that you should try and clean it off and carry on stronger than before. Odd.

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At first, I wasn’t sure if it was my version but the illustration was jarring and felt incomplete. Unfortunately, the art was a huge aspect and thus affected the read. I would have read this to my niece or nephew, but given the art style, I don’t feel like it would capture and hold their attention for the whole book.

Other than that, this is an easy book with simple art.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a preview of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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This ridiculously long picture book aimed at toddlers is pretty weak. I thought the premise sounded cute, but the execution isn't great. And it's so long.

Yes, there are various baby animals failing at doing the simplest of tasks. But that's where the premise falls apart. Despite what the synopsis says, the baby animals do not "get up and try again". We just go from fail to fail until the last pages, where the lesson isn't about perseverance... but about having a friend there to "pick you up and give you a sweet little kiss". None of the animals try again, as far as I can tell.

The text is stilted and there's a missing word at one point (I chalk that up to the translation). The illustrations look a bit like the stuff I used to draw on the computer with Dr. Halo back in the 1980s. Don't get me wrong; it is possible to create decent art with the simplest of software. But these pictures just aren't great. Also, there are continuity problems throughout, starting with the very first animal, a mountain goat, who's trying to climb a rock. This episode continues over four pages... and the rock and sky are different in each one. (Copy and paste, for crying out loud!)

I just can't see one-year-olds sitting still for over sixty pages of monotony. I was thinking, "Is this ever going to end?" as I was reading. That's not the kind of reaction you want to elicit from your readers.

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loved this concept. this would be such a fun book to read with little kids. As a preschool teacher, i can just picture the children getting excited every time to say "oops." the illustrations were really fun as well! The giraffe was my favorite animal. I can just see so many ways to teach with this book. Great job!

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It is a cute little book for kids.
Cute little animals start on a journey to play and explore.
Then they slip and fall, although in a harmless way.
Type of fall after which you laugh for a long time.
It is a funny picture book for kids.
Thanks netgalley and publisher for review copy.

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