Simple and to the point. I feel it covers the main points. ( )

Felted Moby Dick? Um, YES PLEASE. ( )

Okay, first of all, the felted objects and photography in the Wangs' retelling of Moby Dick -- I read the digital version, but IRL it's a board book for babies -- are PERFECT. ADORABLE, CLEVER, BEAUTIFUL, PERFECT. I cannot say enough good things about them.

Telling the story of Moby-Dick in a baby-friendly way is a challenge, I suppose. Cozy Classics: Moby Dick uses twelve photographs, and pairs up a single word with each photograph. It can be confusing if you haven't read the classic text; I've never read Melville's version and have only a passing familiarity with the original tale. I could gather the gist of it by reading this board book, but who knows how accurate I was.

I do think the book, as a whole, could have benefited from having a unified theme in the words instead of trying to follow the original storyline; my 18-month-old could understand "boat" but there's a picture of an (ADORABLE) angry Ahab -- at least, that's who I think it is based on my sad half-knowledge -- that's been paired with the word "mad," which is a concept she really doesn't get yet. And "floating" didn't stand a chance. If all the words had been objects, it would have been smooth sailing (har har), but the mix of objects and emotions and action words (like "sail" and "find") is a little harder for her to grasp.

That wouldn't stop me from picking up a copy of this book, though. I'd probably just change the words as I read it, to something more concrete for the little ones. It'd be worth it. The felting! The photography! AAAH SO CUTE.


(three-and-half stars) ( )

In twelve words, the adventure of Ishmael is introduced to very young audiences. This is a great way to extend a child’s reading progress beyond basic/Dolch words. The fact that each word represents a pivotal moment in the story serves to encourage great interaction between parent and child: Dad can tell a (very) abridged version of the story while highlighting the key words (and moments) in the book. The illustrations are colourful and delightful—a winning combination! The only room for improvement is to create a second list of words or a higher-reading-level edition with more than twelve words for those who have mastered this first set. ( )