Ever stop to consider what an expressive, malleable entity a dot can be? Graphic designer Intriago opens with an interplay of colors, simple lines, and dots that lays out some familiar conventions in contrasting pairs.” —BCCB
“I'm guessing the graphics are what will initially attract folks to Dot. They are understated and perfect. But for me, the real revelation is the subtle and clever text. Classic Ruth Krauss comes to mind and I can't help giggling every time I read it.” —Lane Smith, author of It's a Book
“Patricia Intriago's Dot is absolutely wonderful as it combines charm, humor and graphic design at its best. It made me smile!” —Laura Vaccaro Seeger, author of The Hidden Alphabet
“…this is simple, surprising graphic design that will wake up even jaded readers to the creative possibilities inherent in the most basic of shapes.” —Booklist Online
“On a purely artistic level, it's all about perception, how we can see the same thing differently depending on context and composition. Intriago's accompanying text helps us share her vision, but it also serves to keep us a little off-center, as she offers a few predictable rhymes but avoids others. Just when you think you know what the circle is going to do, it goes and hides behind a square.” —Horn Book Magazine
“Children will encounter ample ways to interact with this incredibly elegant, clever, and delightful concept book.” —School Library Journal, starred review
“The delightful bits are Intriago's mid-book leaps away from her own setup. Out of the blue, photographed human hands appear to poke a hard and a soft dot, and "Got dots"a Dalmatian photocontrasts with "Not dots"a zebra. These diversions are surprisingly funny.” —Kirkus
PreS-Gr 1—In this whimsical book about opposites, each dot acts as a visual analogy. Simplicity equals accessibility, but it also denotes depth of thought. Even two- and three-year-olds will make astute observations. Visually announcing the morning, the story begins with a large, shining, cadmium yellow dot on a cyan blue background with the simple text, "Dot." Humor prevails on one spread that contrasts a chewed dot: "This dot is yummy," with a chewed dot and spit-out piece, "This dot tastes bad." Another unique spread is tactile in its rendition of "Hard dot," which does not yield under the pressure of a small photographed finger pressing down, opposite "Soft dot," which does yield like a soft rubber ball. Most of the book is in black and white unless there is a reason for color, as on the "Stop dot" and "Go dot" or on the "Hurt dot" and "Heal dot" pages. Band-Aid and boo-boo stories, and countless others, will pour forth from young audiences. Children will encounter ample ways to interact with this incredibly elegant, clever, and delightful concept book.—Sara Lissa Paulson, American Sign Language and English Lower School PS 347, New York City