 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Happy Birthday to You!
Common Sense Media says
This nurturing tale skips, soars, and lopes along.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Dr. Seuss's illustrations of crazy architecture and zany transportation gizmos are sure to delight.
What's the story?
Happy Birthday! A kindly Katroovian Birthday Bird bustles a boy out of bed and out of town on a Smorgasbord's back (luxury seating and breakfast included). So begins a long, glorious day and night of gift-getting, snacking, hot-tubbing, and partying with the calm, cheery bird as pamperer-in-chief. This nurturing tale frisks, soars, and lopes along with finger-poppin' wordplay.
Is it any good?
This is a sweet story without being saccharine. The watercolor illustrations are painted in nostalgic 1950s pastels accented with red, bright yellow, and black, and feature Dr. Seuss's trademark curvy, soaring architecture.
It's touching that there's an entire Katroovian "Asso-see-eye-ation" and several specialized Clubs devoted to making sure kids feel like a million bucks on their birthdays. Such nurturing is law in Katroo: The Birthday Bird follows an established set of rules and customs. The Birthday Bird is well organized and experienced with children: Sensibly, he intersperses calming, refreshing activities -- such as wienie roasting and bathing -- with more frenzied celebrating. This means the boy ends his special day in peaceful, satisfied slumber rather than cranky meltdown.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about birthday celebrations and what they would do on their special day. If the sky's the limit, what would you wish for?
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