06/30/2014
The word underwear is enough to make kids erupt in giggles. But when two bears contemplate sharing one pair of underwear, youngsters will be rolling in the aisles. Add rhymes, tongue twisters, and alliteration into the mix, and you’ll find spirited entertainment in this picture-book introduction to basic concepts. A joy to read aloud with its well-paced rhythms...Placed on crisp white backgrounds, the digitally colored pencil illustrations are full of charm and humor. With a unique method of introducing subtraction, this wholly engaging title will be requested over and over again.
"[A] cunning concept that enlivens the standard counting book with a soupçon of subtraction and a touch of tongue-twisting in the tightly packed rhymes, and it brings some welcome comedy to the venerable but often unexciting topic of sharing. Lichtenheld’s pencil and digital color illustrations are robust yet helter-skelter, with pages rife with motion lines and expressions cinematically exaggerated. The animals are neatly and countably arrayed in tidy tripartite layouts that are effectively counter- balanced with airy spot art. The figures are no dull clones, though: position, dress, and even commentary subtly distinguish them, and the poor excluded animals range from the thunderously angry to the melodramatically sad. The bounce of the verse will keep the interest even of youngsters not ready for the math, and kids who’ve progressed beyond basic counting books will be intrigued by the challenge and delighted by the comedy."
December 2014 - Starred Review Bulletin
Take one counting book, mix it with a comical tale of underwear-sharing, add some tongue-twisting rhymes, and soon there will be uncontrollable laughter....The rhymes follow familiar spelling patterns (including -ack , -eal , -ar , -at , -ook , and the nervous-making -uck ), making this a perfect book for new readers (think Hop on Pop ). The goofy situations are made even goofier through Lichtenheld’s familiar and fabulous digitally colored pencil illustrations: it’s hard to keep a straight face when cats are blowing up air mattresses or baboons are playing trombones. The final exuberant parade, and the quietly amusing endpapers, ensure that this will be a popular book for storyhours and independent reading alike. Who knew sharing could be so much fun?
The word underwear is enough to make kids erupt in giggles. But when two bears contemplate sharing one pair of underwear, youngsters will be rolling in the aisles. Add rhymes, tongue twisters, and alliteration into the mix, and you’ll find spirited entertainment in this picture-book introduction to basic concepts. A joy to read aloud with its well-paced rhythms...Placed on crisp white backgrounds, the digitally colored pencil illustrations are full of charm and humor. With a unique method of introducing subtraction, this wholly engaging title will be requested over and over again.
08/01/2014
2014-06-30
