One of a Kind: A Story About Sorting and Classifying

by Neil Packer, Neil Packer (Illustrator)

Overview

It’s classified! With intricate artwork and refreshingly simple language, Neil Packer’s introduction to the many ways of ordering things will thrill the detail-oriented among us.

Meet Arvo. Now look at his family tree. Meet his cat, Malcolm, and check out Malcolm’s family tree, too. Whether people or cats, buildings or books, food or vehicles, there’s a category for everything. And in this mesmerizing narrative introduction to taxonomy, readers follow Arvo through his day to learn about the order of the animal kingdom, to his music lesson to help categorize instruments, and across town to classify cloud formations he sees along the way. Neil Packer’s detailed illustrations and simple narrative are perfect for readers who itch to classify and find order in their daily lives.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781536211214
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	10/13/2020
Pages:	48
Product dimensions:	10.70(w) x 14.60(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

Neil Packer has illustrated a number of classics for the Folio Society as well as Gillian Cross’s retellings of The Odysseyand The Iliad. This is Neil Packer’s debut book as both author and illustrator. He lives in England with his son.

Editorial Reviews

Each classification exercise offers a treasure trove of information. The mixed-media artwork uses cut-out images, conveying an aesthetic that appears both classical and modern...Recommended for any library. Readers will understand the basics of genealogy through a straightforward narrative.
—School Library Journal

An excellent resource for introducing the concept of scientific classification, this title invites readers to pore over its pages and consider their own ideas about how to organize our world.
—Booklist

From the Publisher

10/01/2020

Gr 2–5—This book uses a simple narrative about a pale-skinned boy named Arvo to teach young readers about counting and sorting. Each double-page spread presents a classification analysis related to Arvo and his life. The first page details Arvo's family tree, which can be traced back to his great-great-grandparents. Each part of the family tree is labeled with the family member's connection to Arvo and the percentage of DNA that they share. The next page shows Arvo's cat Malcolm and Malcolm's family tree. Other pages discuss and sort objects such as vehicles, buildings, tools, and cheese. Each classification exercise offers a treasure trove of information. The mixed-media artwork uses cut-out images, conveying an aesthetic that appears both classical and modern. Some of the members of Arvo's extended family are depicted with brown skin. Arvo's story is at the center of all of the classifications, but the classifications are the real highlight. VERDICT Recommended for any library. Readers will understand the basics of genealogy through a straightforward narrative.—Debbie Tanner, S D Spady Montessori Elem., FL

School Library Journal