Where Is Tippy Toes? (review)
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Tippy Toes is a big, friendly-looking orange cat, and during the day, this rhyming text explains, he's easy to find as he gambols about his usual haunts or snores contentedly in a dresser drawer. "But nobody knows where Tippy Toes goes," the narrator goes on to explain, "when the moon is full and the night wind blows"—nobody, that is, save the speaker, a tow-headed kid curled up in bed alongside a Tippy Toes all tucked up under lift-the-flap covers. There's a gentle bounce to the verse that makes it suitable for both daytime and bedtime, and the touches of humor and kitty realism (Tippy Toes tracks across the blueberry pie, leaving berry-tinted pawprints in his wake) make the progression as enjoyable as the final reveal. Lewin aims for maximum closeup appeal in her amiable watercolor illustrations; colors are strong and simple, with spring greens (and cat's-eye green) a strong presence throughout and sunny floral yellow a cheerful accomplice. Compositions are neat and deftly varied, and the periodic die-cut apertures or lift-the-flap reveals enhance [End Page 27] the playful undertones as well as enticing little hands to grab hold of reading in a most literal fashion. A cute kitty, a resonant text, and some entertaining peekaboo reveals—what more could a toddler want?
