Anno's Faces

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2-- Using a simple idea beautifully executed, Anno has created a book with which children can learn to identify both familiar and exotic fruits and vegetables and enjoy creative dramatic play. Carefully and realistically rendered illustrations of 47 fruits and vegetables appear on white backgrounds. Below a thin frame surrounding the page is the name of the fruit or vegetable. Two transparent plastic strips accompany the book. One has a large smile, triangle nose, and dot eyes on one end and a smaller version on the other end; frown features are on either end of the other strip. Children looking at the book can create conversations between the fruits and vegetables by holding the strips so that the fruits and vegetables appear to have faces and supply the words themselves. The strips have safely rounded edges, and although they will undoubtedly get lost at some point, it would be a simple matter to cut out more and draw features with permanent markers. Ideal for parent-child sharing as well as individual use. --Louise L. Sherman, Anna C. Scott School, Leonia, N.J.