Next to You: A Book of Adorableness

by Lori Haskins Houran, Sydney Hanson (Illustrator)

Overview

When it comes to new babies, friends, or other loved ones, we should remind them of just how darling they are. But are they cuter than a piglet in a sweater? A basket of baby chicks? An elephant calf taking a bath? Of course! Sweet, funny, irreverent, but above all, cute, this keepsake-size book is perfect for both gift-giving and cuddly story times.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807556016
Publisher:	Whitman, Albert & Company
Publication date:	02/01/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	9 MB
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Lori Haskins Houran is the author of more than forty books, including Next to You and Space Mice. She lives in Massachusetts with her family.

Sydney Hanson has illustrated several children's books, including Escargot and Five Fuzzy Chicks. Raised in Minnesota, she now lives in California.

Read an Excerpt

Next to You

A Book of Adorableness

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By Lori Haskins Houran, Sydney Hanson

ALBERT WHITMAN & Company

Copyright © 2016 Lori Haskins Houran
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-8075-5600-9

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CHAPTER 1

Next to you, the softest puppy in the world is only kind of cute.

Two kittens with a ball of yarn?

A line of fuzzy yellow ducklings?

A squirrel eating a doughnut with his tiny hands?

Adorable, sure. But next to you? Meh. Just OK.

Take a baby chick.

Take a whole BASKET of baby chicks ...

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Next to You by Lori Haskins Houran, Sydney Hanson. Copyright © 2016 Lori Haskins Houran. Excerpted by permission of ALBERT WHITMAN & Company.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Editorial Reviews

12/14/2015
Readers in need of a little flattery will have no trouble finding it as Houran’s unseen narrator insists that a parade of increasingly adorable animals is nothing compared to a certain young human. “Next to you,” she begins, “the softest puppy in the world is only kind of cute.... A squirrel eating a doughnut with his tiny hands? Adorable, sure. But next to you? Meh. Just OK.” Hanson (D Is for Duck Calls) doesn’t drop the ball on her end—her impossibly fuzzy ducklings, wobbly-legged fawns, and baby bunnies with eyes as big as their ears set a high bar for cuteness. (They also create a bit of a Golden Books feel, fitting given Houran’s former role as editorial director of that imprint.) Is there such a thing as cute overload? Maybe. As unequivocally cuddly as these animals are, the conceit starts to drag after a while. But Houran’s irreverent tone and some clever details like an opening page where gift-givers can write the name of their favorite child, “who is just the cutest,” get the job done. Ages 4–8. Illustrator’s agent: Justin Rucker, Shannon Associates. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

"Pass on by that copy of On the Day You Were Born and tuck this into a shower gift instead." The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, April 1, 2016

"Houran's irreverent tone and some clever details like an opening page where gift-givers can write the name of their favorite child, 'who is just the cutest,' get the job done." Publishers Weekly, December 11, 2015

"A refreshing alternative to hypersentimental entries in the 'I love you more than anything!' genre: sincere without being goopy." Kirkus Reviews, December 15, 2015

From the Publisher

2015-12-08
What could possibly be more adorable than lots of fuzzy baby animals with biiig dark eyes, stubby little legs (oooh), and waggy tails (awww)? Take a guess. Redeemed from Joan Walsh Anglund-style saccharinity by its playful tone, the narrative weighs a succession of stereotypically cute, small creatures against a never-seen "you" and finds them wanting. "Two kittens with a ball of yarn? / A line of fuzzy yellow ducklings? // A squirrel eating a doughnut with his tiny hands? / Adorable, sure. But next to you? Meh." Hanson follows suit in her bright illustrations, the roly-poly darlings in her bright illustrations placed on white space for maximum focus. They sport oversized heads with fetching smiles and wide, slightly crossed eyes—hard but not, with a little effort, impossible to resist. The appearance of a newborn giraffe ("SO. UNBELIEVABLY. SWEET") brings a suspenseful moment of weakness, but "No! NO WAY! They are NOT as adorable as you. Not NEARLY." Whew! "Next to you, even a baby seal doesn't stand a chance," Houran concludes. "And you know what? I'm happy to be…next to you." All those baby animals sleeping together in a heap at the end amount to nothing less than a nearly lethal overdose of cuteness. A refreshing alternative to hypersentimental entries in the "I love you more than anything!" genre: sincere without being goopy. (Picture book. 2-5)

Kirkus Reviews